Recently, Google gave their social network, Google+, a complete makeover on its website, but the iOS app was still left in the cold. However, today, Google+ for iPhone received an well needed facelift.

The new user interface is entirely different to its predecessor, opting for a sleek black theme across the app. The stream now displays larger images with larger profile images so you can easily who is posting, or sharing. They’ve removed the old side-by-side navigation of ‘circles’ and replaced it with a simple single drop down menu which makes it much easier to change which circle you are viewing, so you can view the posts from the people who are important to you.

One massive update is that you can now finally start ‘Hangouts’ on the go through the messenger. Just start a conversation with a single friend or circle; and then tap on the ‘camera’ icon.

Unfortunately, there is still no sign of an iPad app.

Will this iPhone app update get you interested in Google+ again?

FREE - Download Now

One of the advantages of having a camera on your iPhone and iPad is that you can you use it with great apps like Scanner Pro that let you take photos of documents to "scan" them and store as PDFs. The result looks just as if you used a physical scanner to do the job.

To use Scanner Pro, you simply take a photo of the document you wish to scan, or upload a photo that you took at an early time from your Camera Roll. After you take the photo, Scanner Pro will automatically detect the edges and put a box around it. If it needs adjusting, you can simply drag the edges and corners to where they should be. In my experience, the detection has been very good. Even when I intentionally did a terrible job at taking the photo, Scanner Pro found a way to make it work.

Even though I took a terrible photo, Scanner Pro did a great job detecting the edges and produced a "good enough" result.

Scannner Pro also allows you to choose the document size before accepting the scan. Choosing an accurate paper size and border for your page is important for having the best looking scanned document for your result.

Tapping Done will bring you into the next stage of the scanning process. This is where you can decide if the document will be in color, black and white, or simply look just like the photo. You can also adjust the brightness and contrast to make sure the final documents looks good. Tapping Done at this stage will finish the scan.

After you've scanned your documents, you can share them to Dropbox, Evernote, or GoogleDocs. Scanner Pro also includes the "Open in" button so that you can open you scanned documents in any other apps that support PDFs.

The Good

• Easy way to scan documents on the go
• Does a fantastic job
• Auto edge detection is pretty accurate
• Set page size
• Support for multi-pate documents
• Option for password protection
• Sync with Dropbox, Evernote, and GoogleDocs
• Universal for iPhone and iPad

The Bad

• Edges can't go off the screen, so make sure your document is completely visible in your photo

The Conclusion

Scanner Pro does a great job at scanning documents into electronic form. It's a perfect solution for people who don't have access to scanner or for those time they're away from their scanner. I'm beginning to think I didn't need to purchase that all-in-one printer I bought last month.

$6.99 - Download Now

iMore for iPhone is FREE in the App Store! Download now!

The official iMore for iPhone app is here! You read that right! We've spent months working on this and we're incredibly happy to finally be able to share it with the iMore Nation! You've been asking for an iMore app for years but we knew we couldn't just slap the website between two layers of code and throw it into the store -- we had to make an experience that was fundamentally better than both the full iMore website and the mobile web view. And I think we've done just that!

Working with the stellar team at Nickelfish, including our very own Seth Clifford in the cockpit, the astonishing Tammy Coron in the engine room, and the dynamic duo of Justin Marcucci and Dave Vioreanu behind the blaster cannons, just in case.

From the beginning we made a conscious decision NOT to try and shoehorn every possible feature and function into v1. Instead, we stripped it down to the most important things: the news, the reviews, the apps, the accessories, the how-tos, and the audio podcasts (pro tip: you can still watch the video podcasts via YouTube in the episode posts!). And then we worked our collective asses off to make a clean, crisp, consistent experience crafted specifically for those things.

Seth is going to write a post about the design and development process, so I won't steal his significant thunder here. (He's stuck on a plane right now, Apple literally approved the app the moment after he took off -- we should have tried that earlier!)

This is the beginning. But it's only the beginning.

What's next for iMore for iOS

We're already planning the next version of iMore for iOS, and as the name foreshadows, the biggest priority will be delivering an insanely great Retina iPad interface. It. Will. Be. Done. We're also planning to integrate CoreData so recently read articles will cache, and you'll be able to Favorite articles to store locally. Adding share via iMessage is on the list, and so is "read later". We want to add a gesture shortcut to make navigating between stories faster, and we want to add search so you can find exactly what you're looking for.

Commenting is also in the roadmap, but since we're also hard at work on a better commenting system for iMore, we're waiting for that before integrating it into the iMore app.

We tried hard to integrate the iMore forums as well, both as an embedded app and as a web extension to the iMore app but it just didn't work right. Instead of being convenient it was a bit of a collision. So ultimately we made the decision early on to split the iMore Forums out into a separate app. That's the bad news. The good news is that app is almost done now as well (I have the beta on my iPhone already!).

It's built on the Tapatalk engine -- which if you follow the greater Mobile Nations family of sites you may have already guessed, given that the Android Central Forums app and CrackBerry Forums app have already hit their respective worlds and markets.

The iMore Forums app will be out soon as well, so sit tight! There's lot's more to come!

Feedback

iMore for iPhone brings you all the news, reviews, apps, accessories, and how-tos!

You can read articles, read comments, and stream or download audio podcasts from right inside the iMore app!

Once you've downloaded and tried out the FREE iMore for iPhone app, we want to here what you think! We've started an official iMore for iPhone app feedback thread in the forums, so jump in there and let us have it! What do you love, what do you hate, what do you want to see in the next update?

Free - Download now

If you're an iMovie fan, you'll be pleased to know that a new update will soon be rolling out to the masses. As highlighted by Phil Schiller on stage, iMovie now has support for the New iPad and 1080p recording, along with outlining and storyboarding options from within the app.

Overall, this is a nice update and we'll certainly be checking out the new additions - especially when we get our hands on the new iPad. Maybe another shootout will need to take place.

iMovie will be available starting today for $4.99 and as a free update for existing owners.

When I decided that I wanted to learn how to play the guitar, I wasn’t sure where to start –- so I turned, as I always do, to my trusty iPad.

I’m not the most spontaneous person in the world – my wife and kids would say that is a huge understatement. I am a bit programmed and disciplined and really work on “trying new things.”

So, in my disciplined way, I decided that at 48 years of age, it was time for a mid-life crisis. Since I’m not terribly spontaneous, I have an amazing, beautiful wife and six great kids, my mid-life crisis needed to be something out of the norm.

I thought about getting a motorcycle, but my family seems to think I lack the proper coordination and that it might end very badly for me if I tried that. Then it dawned on me – what I wanted to learn how to do was play the guitar. I have been playing the piano since I was about six, I knew music theory and I played in bands in high school; but what I really wanted to do was learn the guitar.

I found my goal, and set upon my journey with iPad 2 in hand to start my adventure. The first thing I needed to do was buy a guitar. I fired up my eBay app to see if I could get a good used one. When nothing jumped out at me, I launched the PriceGrabber app and looked for a guitar that got a great write up in Guitarist Magazine that I had just read using iOS 5's Newsstand.

The PriceGrabber app let me look for a guitar that got a great write up in Guitarist Magazine that I had just read using the Newsstand app

PriceGrabber - Free - Download Now

I ordered my new guitar and started looking for apps to teach me how to use it. I was very surprised that when I did a search for “Guitar” in the App Store, I found over 800 iPad apps and close to 2000 iPhone apps. Where to start? I narrowed my search to “Beginner Guitar” to narrow the field a bit. Pay dirt!

To better cope with the quantity of apps in the App Store, I narrowed my search to “Beginner Guitar” to narrow the field a bit. Pay dirt!

Beginner Guitar Songs - Free - Download now

I found Beginner Guitar Songs from GuitarJamz.com. Marty Schwartz, who is an amazing guitar teacher, showed me how to hold the guitar, how to hold the pick, basic strumming patterns and then introduced easy chords to learn. I quickly progressed through the Beginner Lesson Series and advanced to Important Guitar Chords. After an afternoon, I could play an E minor, A major, D major, G major, E major, A minor and C major chords –not bad for the first day.

Beginner Guitar was so much fun and I could really see some progress.

The next morning of my first weekend with a guitar, I fired up the Beginner Guitar app again and went through the Strumming Patterns and tried to learn some songs from the Easy Guitar Songs section. This was so much fun and I could really see some progress.

One thing that Marty did mention in the lessons was keeping your guitar in tune. I had forgotten about that. I touched base with some musician friends and read up on line. It seems that the “purists” like to use a tuning fork, the “realists” like to use an analog chromatic tuner and the “techies” like the digital chromatic tuner. I just couldn’t see dropping close to a hundred bucks on a tuner when I knew there must be “…an app for that.” Back to the App Store – this time searching for Guitar Tuner. I came across many options, but I settled on Cleartune Chromatic Tuner. For $3.99, I figured it would be worth a shot and it is great. Play a note on the guitar and the “analog looking” dial shows you how far off from the actual note you are. I just tuned my strings and kept plucking and tuning until the guitar was in perfect tune.

Play a note on the guitar and the “analog looking” dial on Cleartune Chromatic Tuner shows you how far off from the actual note you are.

$3.99 - Cleartune Chromatic Tuner - Download now

Now I was ready to learn more chords – I had about seven under my belt and I wanted more. I found the Howcast Guitar Lessons app and found over 140 video lessons – mostly chords and progressions. I spend the better part of the day learning more chords. I continued each day; adding a new chord and then reviewing the ones I had learned. By the end of the first week I had about 10 chords I was comfortable with. By the end of the second week, I had about fifteen I could remember and play. The Howcast app also taught me how to play scales and I learned the Pentatonic scales and the Blues scale and felt like I was ready to dive into some music.

I found the Howcast Guitar Lessons app and found over 140 video lessons – mostly chords and progressions.

$1.99 - Guitar Lessons from Howcast - Download now

I so enjoyed the GuitarJamz app that I looked for more stuff from Marty Schwartz and found Blues Licks, Solo Guitar and 100 Lessons and I downloaded all those apps. I then saw that in addition to the apps and the website, Marty had hundreds of lessons for free on his YouTube channel. I watched, learned and experimented to see what I could do. I had to remember, I was only a little over two weeks into my new hobby.

What I learned was that some of my favorite classic rock songs were pretty easy. America’s “Horse With No Name” – two chords. The Beatles’ “Let it Be” – four chords. Cat Stevens’ “Peace Train” – four chords. I could do this.

Over the next few weeks – and now after about four months – I have been watching YouTube videos, using the Chromatic Tuner app and downloading guitar sheet music via the Songsterr Plus app. The guitar learning apps showed me how to read guitar tablature and chord diagrams – so I can do that as well.

The Songsterr Plus guitar learning app showed me how to read guitar tablature and chord diagrams – so I can do that as well.

$9.99 - Songsterr Plus - Download now

As I write this, I have just learned the guitar solo to Pink Floyd’s “Wish You Were Here” – something I never envisioned I would be doing four months into learning how to play the guitar. Now, I still need lots of work and I’m sure my technique needs improving. Thanks to a Valentine’s present for my first “in-person” guitar lesson, I hope to work on those things and more. However, the reality is that I really did learn how to play the guitar using my iPad.

Have you learned how to do something new using your iPad? Let us know by posting a comment below or joining this discussion thread in our forums.

Avid brings the power of a prosumer-level desktop editing suite to the iPad

Avid are well known for creating great editing suites on the desktop platform, and they've brought the power of a prosumer editing app to mobile. Simple, elegant, portable. You can make amazing movies, and for the first time you can do it right on your iPad.

Avid imports content from your camera roll and your sync'd video files. Since the iPad 2 camera isn't the greatest camera in the world, the option to import video from another device is fantastic. Audio content is imported from your Music Library, and you can select from a huge range of sound effects that come with the app.

The UI in Avid Studio is so simple and elegant and works perfectly on the iPad

The primary editing tool is the storyboard that lines up all the content that is in your movie in blocks, to make for easy navigation. When it comes to properly fine-tuning the video, you can turn to the timeline to crop, splice and amend timings. The timeline comes with 1 video track but 3 audio tracks, so you can have sounds play over each other, for soundtracks, sound effects and even a voiceover. Most effects and features are easy to find, but there are some hidden ones -- if you drag a video over a video in your timeline, you can add it as a picture in picture or just replace it completely.

All these features don't come without some flaws though. If you make a certain changes, like move a title or add a transition, your preview video won't play properly until you render the video. Rendering doesn't take too long but is a little bit annoying to have to sit through constantly. The app also only supports video formats that the iPad supports, specifically H.264 MP4 files, so you won't be importing any AVCHD footage from your HD camera, or old AVI or MPG files any time soon.

Nevertheless, Apple has their work cut out for them if they want to recapture the video editor crown any time soon.

Avid Studio needs to render big changes, but it doesn't take too long.

The Good

• Clean, seamless interface
• As powerful as a desktop app
• Feature rich

The Bad

• Rendering takes time
• Formats limited to those iPad supports
• iPad only, no iPhone version

The Conclusion

If you want a basic, yet powerful editing suite on your iPad, Avid is currently the best choice on the market, and at an unbelievably good price. Despite the need to render larger changes, Avid makes up for it with it's sheer amount of functions, and flexibility in making the video how you want it, and not having to follow any set templates.

$4.99 - Download Now

The App Store has been around for nearly 4 years, and it is approaching 25 billion downloads. (That's 25,000,000,000!) To celebrate, Apple is doing a countdown and giving away a US$10,000 (or equivalent) iTunes gift card to the person who downloads the 25 billionth app.

As of today, nearly 25 billion apps have been downloaded worldwide. Which is almost as amazing as the apps themselves. So we want to say thanks. Download the 25 billionth app, and you could win a US$10,000 App Store Gift Card.* Just visit the App Store and download your best app yet.

You can enter by downloading an app from the App Store or alternatively filling out a form on Apple's website. US and Canada residents can also enter by calling 1-866-296-5926.

The promotion will end once the 25 billionth app has been downloaded and will be announced on Apple's website.

Just like with Apple's giveaway on previous milestones, we want to ask, what would you do with US$10,000 to spend on iTunes?

Good luck, it could be you.

Source: Apple countdown, online entry form

Fiksu, a mobile marketing firm, released some interesting data on how much money top iPhone app developers are spending on promoting their creations. After looking at the top 200 free iPhone App Store for December, the average cost to get someone to run an app more than three times is $1.81. This is up significantly from $1.41 in November. Fiksu also determined that the App Store saw a little over  6 million daily downloads in December, helped in no small part by the oodles of Christmas sales. In fact,m the last week of December saw advertising budgets (and traffic) double. Fiksu gathered up this information through their marketing platform, which spans over 200 million downloads, and 11 billion in-app actions. App Store rankings freeze between December 25 and 28, which creates a rush to get top position beforehand, so you hold that visibility while folks start downloading apps on their new iPhones. Fiksu CEO Micah Adler said:

“For so many app brands, December is a strategically critical month for app discovery. What we witnessed during the month was a ‘land rush’ in which advertisers earnestly spent marketing dollars in order to achieve ranking before the traditional App Store freeze which then would generate substantial organic downloads through increased visibility.”

Of course, if developers just wrote good apps and dropped us a line, maybe they'd get some free advertising by way of our Daily Apps series. Jussayin'.

Smartr Contacts, which had great success on both the BlackBerry and Android platforms, is now available for the iPhone. The company behind Smart Contacts, Xobni has not only managed to re-imagine their app for iOS devices but they've done so in a way that makes the native iOS address book look like a disaster by comparison.

If you're a GMail or Outlook user, Smartr Contacts could be just the contact management solution you are looking for. Rather than just creating a directory of contacts for you, which you then have to meticulously edit, Smartr Contacts builds profiles for those you are in contact with and orders them however you wish, although the ideal situation is to have them ordered by importance. A quick rundown of the features:

• Automatic Address Book - Imagine having an address book that automatically identifies and maintains the names and contact information for everyone you communicate with.
• Smart Contact Discovery - Enabled by the Smartr Cloud, contacts are automatically discovered from email data (currently GMail or Outlook), as well as data from social networks.
• Rich Profiles - A complete profile is created for each contact, including a photo, job title, phone numbers, company details, email history, common contacts and info from Facebook, LinkedIn and Twitter.
• Robust Search - Search by name, initials, company, title, email, phone and more to make finding anyone fast and easy.
• Ranked by Importance - All contacts are ranked by importance, not alphabetically, so the most important people are at the top.

Having been a Xobni / Smartr Contacts user across the various platforms they offer, including their desktop solutions, I have no problem suggesting this app to anyone wishing to get a better handle on their contact management.

• Free - App Store Link

Today, Apple has been making a bunch of education-related announcements, and one of them is a new app for iTunes U. iTunes U was where recorded university classes were shared on Apple's media portal. The iPad and iPhone app will include lots of helpful stuff, like professor's office hours,  class syllabus, access to class materials (including books, apps, documents, web links), teachers can post messages to students, including video and images. During class, students can use the app to take notes, as well as access textbooks. The app can also be used to deliver assignments.

Some big universities are already in on the program, including Harvard, Yale, Oxford, Cornell, Berkeley, and lots of others. iTunes U for iPhone and iPad is available for free starting today.

• Free - App Store Link

Full press release below.

Apple Unveils All-New iTunes U App for iPad, iPhone & iPod touch

NEW YORK—January 19, 2012—Apple® today announced an all-new iTunes® U app, giving educators and students everything they need on their iPad®, iPhone® and iPod touch® to teach and take entire courses. The all-new iTunes U app lets teachers create and manage courses including essential components such as lectures, assignments, books, quizzes and syllabuses and offer them to millions of iOS users around the world. The iTunes U app gives iOS users access to the world’s largest catalog of free educational content from top universities including Cambridge, Duke, Harvard, Oxford and Stanford, and starting today any K-12 school district can offer full courses through the iTunes U app. iTunes U has already become an incredibly popular learning tool for students with over 700 million downloads.

“The all-new iTunes U app enables students anywhere to tap into entire courses from the world's most prestigious universities,” said Eddy Cue, Apple’s senior vice president of Internet Software and Services. “Never before have educators been able to offer their full courses in such an innovative way, allowing anyone who’s interested in a particular topic to learn from anywhere in the world, not just the classroom.”

Prior to iTunes U, only students in the classroom at that time had access to educational content from top universities. With the iTunes U app for iPad, iPhone and iPod touch, those barriers no longer exist. Students anywhere can take an entire course with complete access to all course materials right at their fingertips. With the iTunes U app, students are able to access new books right from within the app, and any notes taken in iBooks® are consolidated for easy reviewing. In addition to reading books, viewing presentations, lectures and assignment lists, students can receive push notifications so they always have the latest class information.* The iTunes U app is available today as a free download from the App Store™.

Educators can quickly and easily create, manage and share their courses, quizzes and handouts through a web-based tool and utilize content and links from the iTunes U app, the Internet, iBookstore℠ or the App Store as part of their curriculum. They can also upload and distribute their own documents such as Keynote®, Pages®, Numbers® or books made with iBooks Author.

*Some content is available only for iPad.

Apple designs Macs, the best personal computers in the world, along with OS X, iLife, iWork and professional software. Apple leads the digital music revolution with its iPods and iTunes online store. Apple has reinvented the mobile phone with its revolutionary iPhone and App Store, and is defining the future of mobile media and computing devices with iPad.

• Text input (yes!)
• Tagging
• Page Search
• Twitter & Facebook Integration
• A number of usability improvements across the app

[$4.99 - App Store link]

CloudOn, a free iPad app that offered Microsoft Office functionality with Dropbox support, appeared briefly in the App Store yesterday before going up in a puff of smoke a short time later.

CloudOn has responded saying their app has "sold out", but we think this may have had something to do with server overload.

Thanks for your support of CloudOn! We're currently sold out. We look forward to the feedback we will receive as we continue to support the many users that have registered in this first phase.

The fact that CloudOn came with full Dropbox support for storing and managing office files on-the-go was a great idea for power users, and the overall offering is unique in respect to beating Microsoft to the punch at their own game. This could be another reason the app is no longer available, as Microsoft could have called shenanigans if CloudOn didn't go through the appropriate channels before release.

I gave it a quick whirl when it was actually up and running, and noticed the app was somewhat sluggish from the get-go (probably due to how much it relies on the cloud backend to get things done paired with the influx of users hammering their servers).

We'll let you know as soon as CloudOn is back in the App Store. In the meantime, here's its description:

• Use Microsoft Word, Excel and PowerPoint on your iPad to create or edit documents.
• Rename, delete and manage documents with your Dropbox account
• Display, edit or create charts, change formatting, spell check, insert comments, into any Word, Excel or PowerPoint files
• Track changes while reviewing Word documents
• Use pivot tables and insert formulas in Excel workbooks
• Display and edit animation or transitions in PowerPoint presentations
• Present in full PowerPoint mode (not in PDF)
• Open files directly from your iPad email accounts or Dropbox account
• Automatically save documents to avoid losing changes

Source: CloudOn

Have an app you’d love to see featured on TiPb? Email us at iosapps@tipb.com, tell us about your app (include an iTunes link), and we’ll take a look.

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

The guys at BlackSmithGames have announced that their AppventCalendar will be returning for 2011. If you go to AppventCalendar.com everyday in December, you will be able to pick up a free game, and a free app. Thats 2 free downloads a day!

Something new for 2011 -- an iPhone app, meaning that you don't even have to visit the website to download your gift. You can check the app, and download the free gift, directly on your iPhone.

Don't forget, like any advent calendar, if you miss a day you can't go back and get it later!

• AppventCalendar website
• iTunes Link

Feedly, an iPhone and iPad app that brings you content from Google Reader, Twitter, Instapaper and Read it later, has been updated to also include Facebook and Tumblr integration.

Feed your mind. Get the best content from your favorite websites delivered to your iPhone and iPad. Powered by Google Reader, Twitter, Tumblr, Facebook, Instapaper and Read it later.

The update includes:

• Landscape support
• Search and follow sources
• Integration with Tumblr
• Integration with Facebook
• New contents page
• Improved navigation (aka Launchpad module)
• Pinch to close inlined articles
• Themes
• More essentials
• Snappier

Feedly is available on the iPhone and iPad for Free.

[App Store link]

Have an app you'd love to see featured on TiPb? Email us at iosapps@tipb.com, tell us about your app (include an iTunes link), and we'll take a look.

According to Mashable, Facebook will finally launch the official Facebook for iPad app next to an update to its iPhone counterpart at Apple's iPhone 5 event next week. Former Facebook developer Jeff Verkoeyen recently spoke out against Facebook yesterday for dragging their feet on releasing the long rumored iPad app. Apparently "a combination of timing and a strained relationship with Apple" was at the heart of the issue, but the two have finally come to an agreement. Why?

thanks to the shared goal of beating Google — and the simple fact that Facebook and Apple may need each other. The former doesn’t have a mobile platform while Apple doesn’t have a social platform. The culmination of this renewed friendship: the launch of Facebook for iPad at Apple’s iPhone 5 media event.

To be honest, at this point I'm not holding my breath and will believe it when I see it in the App Store. In the meantime, check out our Top 5 Facebook for iPad apps to help you with the wait.

Source: Mashable

Jeff Verkoeyen, an ex-Facebook developer who was the lead engineer on the Facebook for iPad project, wrote on his personal blog about the internal battle that took place between him and Facebook, and goes a long way to explaining why we still haven't seen the app.

It is now nearly 5 months since the app was feature complete and I haven’t seen it released except for when the project was leaked on Techcrunch. Needless to say this was a frustrating experience for me. The experience of working on this app was a large contribution to the reasons why I left Facebook, though that doesn’t mean it wasn’t a difficult decision.

MG Siegler at TechCrunch suspects the delay may be tied to negotiation issues between Apple and Facebook, even though Apple would do well in having an official Facebook for iPad app in the App Store. As you may recall, they were in talks for upwards of 18 months on the Ping deal that ultimately fell through at the last minute because Facebook demanded too much in terms of user information.

But Apple has always wanted Facebook to release an iPad app. The Facebook iPhone app is the most downloaded app of all time. And there are countless third-party Facebook iPad apps that are amongst the top downloads all time, even though most aren’t very good. At first, Facebook wasn’t going to focus on the iPad. Then they decided to, but they also realized the app could be used as leverage in their dealings with Apple. That’s what we believe has been going on over the past several months.

It's also possible that the delayed iPad app has something to do with Facebook's Project Spartan, an app store that will offer games and news apps that run inside Safari, or as Web Clips on the home screen. Facebook and Apple could be working together on the HTML5 project, prompting continuous delays for the iPad app as deals are hammered out.

Robert Scoble also chimed in last week (on Google+ of all places) noting that Facebook may be holding off until Apple's iPhone 5 announcement on October 4th.

By the way, I heard a rumor from a usually credible source that Facebook may not announce an iPad app tomorrow, but will save it for October 4th instead. Now THAT will be very interesting news, since I know Apple really hates Facebook.

Either way, our patience is wearing thin... In the meantime, check out our Top 5 Facebook Apps for iPad to hold you over until the official app is released.

Source: Jeff Verkoeyen via TechCrunch, Robert Scoble

WordPress has updated their iOS app to version 2.9. The app now comes with a row above the keyboard with a number of rich-text and formatting options, including the ability to insert links and a new fullscreen editing mode.

It's easy to manage your WordPress blog or site from your iOS device. With WordPress for iOS, you can moderate comments, create or edit posts and pages, and add images or videos with ease. All you need is a WordPress.com blog or a self-hosted WordPress.org site running 2.9.2 or higher.

• A Feature-Rich Content Editor. Now you can easily format text, make bulleted lists, create links, and do all kinds of other fancy stuff. (It’s about time, right?)
• Full Screen Editing. No more teeny-weeny content editor — now you can view more text at a time while you post on the go.
• Reading Made Easy. Keeping track of your favorite blogs has never been easier. Browse all the latest posts on blogs you follow in one place, right from your iPhone.
• Quick Photo will now use the post format for images (if your theme supports it).
• You can now post pictures that you’ve already taken with Quick Photo.
• Your stats referrer links and comment links can now be opened right from this app.

I won't be using the new features too much, as I like to use Markdown for Mail on my iPad for the right formatting whenever I blog on-the-go, but I'm sure many bloggers using WordPress will welcome this update with open arms. WordPress has lacked many of the features most bloggers see as a necessity in their iOS app until this update, so go grab it and start playing around!

WordPress for iOS is available for free on the iPhone, iPad and iPod touch.

Free - App Store Link

Have an app you'd love to see featured on TiPb? Email us at iosapps@tipb.com, tell us about your app (include an iTunes link), and we'll take a look.

Just two months after hitting the US in an invite-only beta, Spotify is now open to to the public and is offering users 6 months worth of unlimited streaming under the free account.

Stream millions of tracks from thousands of albums and artists to your iPhone, iPod Touch and iPad. Take your existing Spotify playlists with you on the go – listen to them during your commute, in the gym or on a flight. With ‘Offline mode’ you can listen even when no connection is available. Wirelessly sync your local files to your phone to merge your catalogue with ours, no cables required! Download and get started directly from your mobile.

• Instant access to over 15 million tracks
• Stream online
• Listen offline – no mobile connection needed
• Share music with your friends
• Star your favourite tracks
• Wirelessly sync your own MP3s to your iPhone, iPod Touch & iPad
• Create and sync playlists
• Send the tracks you listen to direct to Last.fm & Facebook

Spotify is on a role right now, as just yesterday they partnered up with Facebook to allow free streaming on the social network from user profiles at no cost.

I've been in the invite-only beta since it launched in the US and have been loving it, although I can't see myself spending the money for a premium account just yet given my loyalty to iTunes and iCloud. Spotify is still one of the best online streaming music providers out there, however, so give it a try and let us know how you like the service!

Spotify is available for Free for iPhone and requires a free Spotify account. There are also premium and unlimited accounts available starting at $4.99 per month.

[App Store Link] [Spotify]

During Facebook's annual f8 conference today CEO Mark Zuckerberg revealed an all-new, completely redesigned profile including the "Timeline" to better describe who you are and what you're interested in. Facebook will also introduce better app integration across the platform and we'll be seeing changes to the "Like" button as well.

So what are these changes all about and how soon can we expect to see them hit the iPhone app?

Timeline

Currently, each profile contains status updates and user activity in a static timeline with an "endless scroll" effect, requiring users who view your profile to scroll down continuously to see what you've been up to recently and in the past. This process can be time consuming if you're looking for an older post or want to show friends interesting events from your past.

The profile changes include a new "Timeline" feature going back through your entire history on Facebook, even reaching back in time to before Facebook existed by letting you add information from the day you were born. Users can fill their backstory from before Facebook was created so friends can see when you've moved in the past, ended a relationship or got your first car from way back in the day.

Facebook describes the new Timeline as "The story of your life".

• All your stories
• All your apps
• A new way to express who you are

Timeline essentially makes it easier for users to focus in on a specific window of time to get a good snapshot of your activity during that period in your life. Users will have more fluid control over their profiles and the ability to customize their own Timelines to reflect their personalities and lifestyles. You can determine how prominent or subtle any past story is displayed on your Timeline by adding a star to it, formatting the post in widescreen for more prominence within your profile.

To be honest, I have mixed feelings about the Timeline feature as I like to have full control and ownership over my profile and what my friends can see. It will be up to Facebook to make sure there's enough customization available to users before I can pass judgement, but Timeline is definitely one of the biggest changes Facebook has made since it launched and was one of the focus areas in today's f8 announcement.

Apps will play a larger role

Facebook apps in general will be getting Timeline integration too, letting users drop apps directly into their Timeline for display on the main profile. Apps will also be more socially integrated and hold a larger presence throughout Facebook, which could be a good thing or a bad thing depending on how developers use the new app resources.

App "Reports" will also let you dive into the Timeline of any app so you can see the different ways you've been using apps at any point in the past. Want to see how many crops you harvested last summer, or how many Vampires you've slain this month? I think you get the point...

It will be interesting to see how the Facebook platform grows with the added benefits to app developers and the overall larger role that apps will play going forward. I could see this as more of a distraction than an added benefit, but you may think otherwise depending on the different ways you use Facebook.

"Like" is now a verb

Facebook's well-known "Like" button that we've all grown to love (or hate) will also be getting an upgrade, where instead of just "liking" a book or a movie you can now say you've "read" a book or "watched" a movie.

The Like button will be evolving over time and adding additional verbs to open up a wide-range of possibilities. Facebook apps will also be able to tap into this new "Like as a Verb" functionality to help users better express their interests.

Open Graph

Facebook has partnered up with the likes of Spotify, Rhapsody, MOG and Rdio to integrate music directly into your profile page through Open Graph. Anything you Like or add to your profile can be played when your friends visit your page or check out your interests right from within the profile, fully integrated, and it's completely free. Spotify currently touts 15 million tracks available, which Facebook users will have full access to just by Liking a song.

They've also teamed up with Netflix, Hulu, Blockbuster (wha?!) and a number of other video content providers to fill your profile with your favorite shows and videos. Netflix will not be available to Facebook users in the US initially, giving all the goods to Canada and Latin America until a certain US law that "creates some confusion over our ability to allow U.S. members to share what they watch" is sorted out.

So what about the iPhone app?

That's a quick rundown of some of the bigger changes announced today with most of the updates being rolled out over the next couple of months. But where does the iPhone come in?

The added functionality to the "Like" button relies on HTML5 technology, so a simple backend update to the Facebook for iPhone app could easily include the new features across the service from within the app. Same goes for the Timeline, which could be displayed in a similar layout to the desktop thanks to the Retina Display on the iPhone 4 -- at least in landscape orientation.

Open Graph is a different story, where complications like contracts and complex agreements come into place from music and content owners preventing users from fully enjoying what they love. There also may be technical limitations that prevent playback features from crossing over to the native iPhone app, especially with video from partners who don't have their content setup in the right format.

We'll have to wait and see exactly which changes ultimately make it to the Facebook for iPhone app, since recent changes like Top Stories have already been pushed while other features like the new activity ticker are still (and thankfully so) tied to the desktop browser.

There's just one thing I'm still left wondering about after today's f8 announcement -- when the heck is Facebook going to release that long-rumored iPad app?!

[Facebook]

Facebook for iPhone has been updated and brings a few new features and many improvements including the ability to tag friends and places in posts.

• Added the ability to tag friends and places in posts
• Added the ability to share external links from a web view
• Added new design for Profile and Group Walls
• Improved the sharing tool to add privacy controls on posts and match your settings on the web site.
• Improved Notifications Speed
• Fixed a number of Chat bugs
• Made it easier to select filters in News Feed
• Fixed a bug with the notifications bar disappearing
• Fixed a number of Photos bugs
• Improved performance and stability overall

Facebook for iPhone is available for free.

[App Store link]

Have an app you'd love to see featured on TiPb? Email us at iosapps@tipb.com, tell us about your app (include an iTunes link), and we'll take a look.

Let's be blunt -- if you're not in the TiPb Forums you're missing out on the best darn discussion in iPhone and iPad today, so head on over and register now!

• If the next iPhone does indeed land on Sprint will you leave your current carrier to make the switch?

• Report all bugs/issues on iOS 5 beta 7 here.

• With all of the recent reports of a possible Sprint and T-Mobile iPhone coming soon why not discuss them here?

• iPhone and iPad app reviews.

See you in the forums!

iPad users that use twitter.com in safari, instead of the downloadable iPad app, will be getting a new HTML5 web app in the next few weeks

Currently, iPad users who navigate to 'twitter.com' are greeted with the old iPhone layout, with an option to switch to the default desktop UI. However Twitter announced on the 'Twitter Mobile' twitter account that they have begun rolling out a new HTML5 based web UI specifically for the iPad, which should reach all users in the coming weeks.

We've launched our HTML5 version of twitter.com for iPad. It will be rolling out to device owners over the next week or so.

The screenshot above shows that the UI is similar to both the desktop design and the recently updated iPhone design.

I haven't had the updated web app yet, but I'm interested to know if any of you have had a chance to play with it yet.

[9to5mac] [@TwitterMobile]

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]

Trying to rearrange one of your iPhone, iPod touch, or iPad home screens and curious how to move multiple apps around at once? Well, if you're Jailbroken, you can! Multiiconmove allows you to move multiple icons so you can get your home screen exactly how you want it, as fast as possible. We'll show you how after the break

Multiiconmover cuts your time down by letting you move multiple icons at one time. It's available from Cydia for iPhone, iPod touch, and iPad.

1. Launch Cydia on your jailbroken iPhone
2. Search for Multiiconmover
3. Install the app.

Once Multiiconmover is downloaded, there will be no app icon on your springboard, it automatically goes into action.

1. First, hold down an icon like you were going to move them.
2. Once the icons start jiggling, tap the icons you would like to move
3. Drag one of the icons you would like to move to the spot that you want. Note, you must have enough room on the page for all the icons you have selected to move.
4. Once your icon is where you want it, tap the home button and you will see all the icons you've selected move to the location you wanted.

Did you like this app? Did it help you cut your time down when moving icons around on your springboard? 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...)

RockMelt has released a free iPhone version of its popular desktop app, a social-network, orientated web browser, that integrates with your Facebook/Twitter accounts, to share sites with your friends/followers as you surf, or you can update your social network statuses directly from the app. RockMelt for iPhone, brings all of these to the iPhone.

Since RockMelt uses your Facebook login, the iPhone App offers real-time syncing for your bookmarks, RSS feeds or social networks, between your iPhone and other computer. As well as offering their new "View Later" feature, which allows you bookmark specific items, like sites or tweets which you can read on your computer.

Unfortunately, there is no iPad app, as of yet.

Are you a RockMelt user? Will the iPhone app be replacing your current iPhone browser? Check out screenshots and a video after the break.

[FREE - iTunes Link]

Good April Fool's jokes seem hard to come by these days, but not for this news anchor who convinced his co-host to lick an iPad immediately after she exclaimed "I'm not licking an iPad!"

The host told a story about a breaking new app that lets you taste and smell things on your iPhone or iPad. The new technology was called Pietzo Electrics and although the co-host seemed disgusted by the idea, she was too intrigued to turn it down once the app was placed in front of her.

For some good laughs, check out the video after the break!

Every day, TiPb gets flooded with announcements for new and updated iPhone, iPod touch, and iPad apps and games. So every day we pick just a few of the most interesting, the most notable, and simply the most awesome to share with you!

• Sand Slides: Another app to add to your collection of addictive puzzle games! [Free - iTunes link]

• Photogene for iPad: Get 11 additional frames or GO-PRO mode (extra tools) via in-app purchase. [$2.99, with in-app purchases - iTunes link]

• 2Do: Tasks Done in Style: Update gives recurring tasks the option to have an end date and priority mapping with Toodledo has been revised. [$6.99 - iTunes link]

• myAT&T: Previously myWireless, myAT&T now supports both wireless and AT&T U-verse account management. [Free - iTunes link]

• Doodle Jump: This update brings a super-secret early Easter present! [Free - iTunes link]

Any other big apps or game releases or updates today? If you pick any of these up, let us know what you think!

If you could only have 5 apps on your iPhone what would they be and why? We're talking App Store apps here, not built-in apps like Safari. For example, if I were stranded on a desert island (that just happened to have Wi-Fi and electricity to charge -- you know, thanks to Dharma) these would be my must-have apps:

• Skype [Free iTunes] so I could call out for pizza or even hail a ship to rescue me.
• Articles [2.99 iTunes] (Wikipedia app), so I could find out how to cure that sea urchin sting (the solution isn't pretty).
• Twitter [Free iTunes] so that everyone would know how much I am suffering... or living it up on the island.
• Instagram [Free iTunes] so that I could quickly post pictures to Twitter, Facebook and Flickr, because being on a deserted island is something you would have to see for yourself.
• Chess [0.99 iTunes] because they say it takes a lifetime to master and I guess I would have a lot of time on my hands.

What apps would you simply not want to live without?

This week I took at look at Peak Meetings HD for iPad and so far, I like what I see. I mean, meetings, meetings, meetings. There has to be a good way to capture meeting information on iPad, right? Sure you can just type your notes out, but wouldn't be great if you could use templates for your meetings? How about have them in an organized format? Read on to find out!

When making a meeting, you can choose what type of meeting its going to be. Informational? Update? Problem Solving? What Peak Meetings attempts to do is to help you organize, prioritize and most of all, streamline your meeting notes. Peak Meetings does this by giving you some key sections that are customizable that vary based on the type of meeting you have. Let's look at a basic meeting:

• Title
• Goals
• Agenda
• Notes
• Location
• Attendees
• Project

With Agenda type of meeting, these bullet points are divided even further into four sub-topics:

Topic- the title of what is to be discussed

Timing- how long this topic should last

Responsible- who is presenting this (gets populated from the Attendees section; more on that later)

Details- specifics for this topic to be discussed

Problems- why/what and ideal outcome

Options- pros and cons list

Solutions- needed and hurdles

Actions- responsible person, due date, details

After you have cataloged all of the above information, you can then write even more details in the notes section. Think if it as a way to summarize your meeting at a high level; the details are accounted for above.

Next you can enter in location information such as 4th floor, meeting room B. There is even a specific area to enter the access code for a conference call. To top it off, you can enter attendees for the meeting. Attendees are pulled in from your contacts or can be entered from scratch. Finally, all of this information is great but unless you can tie to a project, it is ultimately not worth it. So, you can add multiple projects as needed to your meeting.

Once you gave taken all of your meeting notes you can easily email them. This, my friends is where it all starts to come together. Remember when you added "attended" contacts to your meeting? Well, now when you email it, your attendees emails show in the compose email window! Very nice.

The next thing that you might be thinking is, "Gee Chad, I have weekly meetings where the agenda, etc. is always the same". No worries my friends, you can easily select a meeting and duplicate it.

That sums up Peak Meetings HD for iPad. This app fits nicely in my workflow. For example, as many of you know, I love Evernote. Well, I also send a copy of the meeting via email to Evernote when I am done with the meeting. Now I have a consistent, nicely formatted meeting notes instantly searchable.

[$9.99 - iTunes Link]

Pros

• Great way to streamline you meetings!
• Customizable with types of meetings
• Universal app- bonus!
• Email your meetings from the Attendee list
• Duplicate common meetings

Cons

• Can't create your own sections, but is very flexible to suite most needs
• No built-in backup or sync tool

Ever since the iBooks was announced, this is probably the single biggest issue an avid ebook reader will ultimately have to deal with: Kindle app or iBooks. What should you pick? Well, no one can tell you that for certain, but I hope to give you a little insight that might help you decide.

The fundamental difference between the two is the Kindle app has a very large ebook selection by comparison. 750,000 ebooks on Kindle and 60,000 books at iBooks launch (Apple has not released exact numbers). To me, this is the differentiating factor. Both applications support landscape view with two columns and a built-in dictionary as well as syncing of bookmarks, highlights and notes. Let's look at some of the differences of each app beyond how many books they have.

(You can get our quick review of the Kindle app here and iBooks app here)

Kindle

The Kindle app is a free universal app so you can run it on any iOS device. You can tap the left or right of the screen to turn pages and tap the top right corner to bookmark a page. You have several levels of font sizes and colors to choose from to help create your reading experience as good as it can be. You can even sync your annotations to other devices that support Kindle, that includes any iOS device, Mac, PC, Android and BlackBerry as well as Amazon's own Kindle.

There are a couple of innovative features that the Kindle has brought to the ebook table. First the Kindle app displays popular highlights in a book via underlined text while you read. You can easily see what other people have highlighted, quotes or whole passages. Second is data supplied by Shelfari. This content includes summary, character, spoilers and more; not a bad benefit. On the iPad, you can turn on a page turning feature similar to iBooks, but it is not has smooth or pays as much attention to detail as Apple's iBooks. On iPad, you have to different ways to view your library; big icons that can use pinch to zoom to resize as needed or an alphabetical list. I like both options depending on my mood, but what is lacking is a manual arrange function; You only can sort by Recent, Author or Title.

Since Kindle books are in the cloud, there is no need to sync your book on any desktop. Simple navigate to the archive in Kindle and redownload your book and it will then sync your bookmarks and other annotations.

iBooks

These are all very nice touches iBooks. The look, feel and options are fantastic. However, content is king, just like available software for a platform and regretfully, iBooks falls flat on its face. 9 out of 10 books I search for on iBooks comes up empty. This is very disheartening. I remember in the early days of the Kindle, they only had a 100,000 ebooks or so and are now approaching one million. Sadly, iBooks is not even up to 100,00o yet. I have hopes that Apple will forge the relationships needed to foster a growing library.

Alas, at this time, Kindle really is the better choice for content and iBooks is a much better app. In the end, what s more important to you; books you can actually read, or a pretty application?

Fruit Ninja is one of the most popular iPhone, iPod touch, and iPad games in the App Store. Up until now, on the menu select screen, there has been a mysterious banana-shaped mode, marked as "coming soon". Well soon is now and Halfbrick have finally revealed "Arcade Mode" -- 60 seconds, 3 power ups,

Double Points – This banana will award you double points for a short period of time. Criticals and combos count too, so rack up those fruit for some massive scores!

Frenzy – If you’re not content with the amount of fruit on screen, the Frenzy banana will take care of that. A mammoth amount of fruit will begin flying in, but you have to stay focused to slice it all!

Freeze – The entire screen will slow down, allowing for maximum accuracy and combo potential!

The Fruit Ninja update is available in the App Store now.

Video after the break and if you try Arcade Mode, let us know what you think!

[iPhone/iPod touch iTunes link, iPad iTunes link]

As many of you may know, I am one of the productivity geeks here at TiPb. I am always looking to use tools to help me be more productive and save time. I have used most of the major task management platforms available for iPhone and iPad, but I have secretly longed to do it in Evernote.

There are many ways use GTD and Evernote and a quick Google search will usher many results. However, I have adopted and tweaked Jeff Kirvin's GTD concept in Evernote. Let me explain how it works. Getting Things Done (GTD) is a methodology for complete task management. Evernote is suited well for this as it has folders, tags and custom searches; this is my setup.

First, I only use one notebook, that's right, only one. I use the ingenious title of "My Notebook" for its title. From here I start to add tasks, articles, whatever- things I need to get done, into my the folder. From there I have an "All" tags category with literally hundreds of sub tags for just about anything I can think of from "Humor" to "Science Fiction". Once I place a note in my notebook, I tag it with as many tags as I feel it needs. Next I determine if the note is actionable; if it is, do I need to do anything with it? If the answer is no, I don't do anything and save the note making it instantly searchable later if I need it. If the answer yes, then I give it a Context. A Context is typically labeled with an "@" (ampersand) and can mean different things, but I equate it to location or state of mind. For example, I use @Home, @Computer to indicate a place to do something. I have contexts like @Internet, @Read and @Evernote that I use to tell me I need to read or write something, but that could really be anywhere. I typically assign the @Evernote or @Read context for schoolwork or articles I send to Evernote that I want to read later or for writing a blog post (like this one).

After I have assigned the context tag, I save the note. If you work on Projects, you can create those too (as a tag) and assign notes as appropriate. However, I use a method similar to Jeff in a sense that I borrow the methodology of the AutoFocus system by Mark Forester and simply pick what I feel is appropriate at the time. If something is date-sensitive, I will add a date to the title so I see the date first, then the action name. Others may add these items to their calendar.

Now at this point you are probably saying to yourself, "That's great Chad, but how do I find something in this big bucket of notes?" Ah, that is where the power of Evernote comes alive.

You see, the secret with Evernote is the Custom Search. You can enter search criteria and Evernote will return the result. So, let's go back and look at my action of @Evernote, Blog Post for GTD. When I complete this task, I add a !Complete tag to the note and remove the"@" context. This will allow me to see that is completed while removing the fact it is an action item. In Evernote there is number that appears next to the context. I use this number to determine the volume of actions I have in any given context. So, by removing the context from a completed note, I am able to keep the number limited to only items I need to get done while having the !Compelte tag allows me to track what I have done.

So If I want to create a search from completed tasks, that is east I use: tag:!Completed -tag:@. This will display every note that is done but that does not include a"@" context. If I want to see how many tasks I have compelted in the last week, I can use this: tag:!Completed -tag:@, created:week-1. This works really well. I use different variables of this logic to architect my Evernote custom searches to only display what I need. For example, if I want to find notes that I haven't tagged (sometimes they slip through!) I created an "!Inbox" search. This criteria is simply -tag:. This tells Evernote to show me everything that doesn't have a tag. I also use an !Active Tasks search to show me all actionable tasks with an "@" context. This search looks like this: tag:@. Since I don't really use dates for my tasks, I also need a way to mark a task as something I want to do today. For this, I use !Today tag and create a custom search like this: tag:@* tag:!Today. The other benefit of these searches is that they sync from platform to platform. Mac, PC, iPhone, iPad, Android, BlackBerry, Web, it appears everywhere. Also, you may be wondering why I am placing an exclamation (!) point in front of my custom searches. Evernote sorts searches, tags and folders by name so adding interesting characters such as an @, !, # and . elevate them to the top of the alphabetical list.

So far I am enjoying this system; its seems to be working well. Sometimes I feel tempted to go back to using OmniFocus or ToDo, but I am about two weeks in and I have little adjustments here and there for the custom searches trying to really nail what I need for retrieval. One of the other main benefits of using Evernote for GTD is that you can email items directly into Evernote. For example, you have some work emails you need to follow up on or some emails with useful attachments. You can send that email with attachments to Evernote for reference or action (attachments beyond images, audio, ink and PDFs require an Evernote Premium account, but it is totally worth it).

If you are looking to learn more about the system I have described, here is Jeff' Kirvin's original post as well as links to David Allen for GTD and Mark Forester for the AutoFocus system.

Evernote for iPhone and iPad is available in the App Store. [iTunes link]

If you are looking for a simple text editor with a clean, professional interface, PlainText might just be for you. Hog Bay Software has created a quaint little document app that goes out of it's way to do simple editing. The main benefit this app has over the built-in Notes app is that you can define and create folders; the level of editing is the same.

The first thing you will notice about PlainText is its icon. It is the shape of a formatting mark on a typical word processor. Once you open Plain Text you see a list of documents on the left and the first available document open on the right. To begin typing, tap anywhere in the document to begin. If you want a full screen typing experience, there is a full screen icon in the lower right. Tap to make full screen, tap again to bring back the document list.

There are no formatting options in PlainText... it is just that, plain text. What does separate this app from say, the Notes app on iPad is the ability to add documents to folders. Tap the new folder icon and you can create as many folders as you would like. However, you should be aware that you can't move a document from to a folder after the document it created; you must create the file in the folder you want. I am sure this will be an enhancement in an upcoming release.

The next question you are asking yourself is how do I get these notes to my iPhone, after all it's a universal app. The easiest way to use Dropbox. You can set this up directly from Settings in the app and you are ready to rock. However, if you want to use another tool, try PadSync.

Overall I like the simple and great aesthetic nature of the application. There are just a couple of quibbles that are preventing it form stardom. One of the big ones for me is the inability to move files between folders. Perhaps it's there and I am missing it, but I sure couldn't find it. Additional features are planned (here is a list from the next beta as of this writing) and it has been submitted to the App Store. I would check the blog regularly for updates and suggestions.

[Free- iTunes Link]

Pros

• Free!
• Create folders
• Universal App

Cons

• Only syncs with DropBox (where is MobileMe?)
• Can use app PadSync http://ecamm.com/mac/padsync/ to get data from Mac to iPad
• Can't move a document to an existing folder

Are you ready for the ultimate in iPhone first-person shooter games? If so, then sit back and enjoy Modern Combat 2: Black Pegasus. Gameloft has really, really, really shown it is in this to win and take advantage of the hardware on iPhone. This game is gorgeous, especially on the retina display. Ah, but let's not dwell on the graphics for now, let's jump into the game itself.

Black Pegasus is a sequel to Modern Combat. This game was good for its day, but Black Pegasus sets a new standard. The game starts off after the old one where you are part of a squad sent to take out the bad guys, protect civilians, etc. There really isn't anything new there, so let's talk about what is new. As I mentioned earlier, the graphics are awesome. I don't mean just because they are retina display graphics, they are awesome because the new character models look very realistic and body movement is very smooth as characters move about the screen. You also have a blinding white screen when you are caught with a flash bang grenade and if you "bust" in a door you have slow motion for a few seconds to take out the bad guys, creating a sense of stunned enemies.

To control the game you have the standard fanfare of d-pad on the left and your attack, grenades, etc on the right. You have the crouch button on the bottom left and the zoom scope on the bottom right. When maneuvering your character it is quite responsive and when you zoom to scope view, the controls turn very sluggish. This is done on purpose, because if not, everyone would spend the whole game in zoom mode! The controls are solid, but still suffer for Gameloft's persistent issue of keeping on the d-pad on the left as the control point and if your thumb moves off of it, you inadvertently end up controlling your view. Though not a game-stopper, it does happen on occasion- I will be in the middle of combat and all of a sudden be looking up at the sky or down at the ground. If Gameloft would simply change the whole left of the screen for movement, the problem would be solved.

There are lots of single player missions with great difficulty on the hard levels, but where this game really shines is in multiplayer. 10 players online and 4 types of games tend to keep me very busy. You have typical "deathmatch" where everyone is out for each other. Team deathmatch where two sides go after each other. Next is capture the flag where you capture the enemy flag and take it back to your base and last is bomb defuse where you have to protect a bomb from the other guys defusing it.

These multiplayer matches are crazy awesome. Fluid, look beautiful, solid Internet connections, etc., what could make it better? Points. That's right, there is a ranking system. Every kill, headshot, assist, you name gets points. Typically every level unlocks something from a kill signature (it's like a taunt) to new weapons or a skill like -20% on gun recoil and more. The only chink in the armor is that the online multiplayer is Wi-Fi only, so no 3G regretfully. Still, I can live with that as the single player missions are still a blast to play.

If you like first-person shooters, this is an absolute no-brainer purchase; it must be bought and it must be bought now. It is without a doubt the BEST game of this type on the App Store and I guarantee you will waste many hours fraggin' your peeps online. Not sure? Watch my video up top and you will be convinced.

[$6.99- iTunes Link]

Pros

• Amazing graphics
• Great controls
• Very challenging single player campaign on the hard levels
• The absolute best multiplayer FPS experience on the App Store

Cons

• No Game Center support, uses Gameloft Live! )but it works really well!
• No 3G Multiplayer

The Netflix app for iPhone received a nice little update last night that includes video out support. Yes, this means you are now able to use your iPhone 4 or iPod touch 4 to send any streaming video content available on Netflix directly to your TV.

While jailbreakers have been able to take advantage of this feature for quite some time now, it's nice to finally have it "officially" supported.

If you've tried it out, let us know how it works for you.

UPDATE: for those asking how to get the video from iPhone to your TV, you need a pair of Apple AV cables or similar for that.

[iTunes]

This week I'm taking a look at iStudiez. A new school year is upon us and as I begin the journey of own Master's degree I thought taking a look at one of the leading school and course management apps in the App Store was in order.

iStudiez is a very comprehensive course management application for the iPhone. This app literally does it all from cataloging semesters, courses and instructors to tasks and grades. So where do we begin? Let's break the app down by section. So, first lets take a look at the Today section.

At the bottom of iStudiez you have four icons. The first icon is the Today icon. From here you get a summary of information you need to get done today. You have the option of turning on events from your iOS calendar, or feel free to leave it off. It displays all day events as well as regular times events. Simply tap on the event to get more information.

Next you have the Calendar icon. This is exactly as it sounds, a calendar for your courses and assignments. There is a toggle button up at the top of the screen that switches you from Schedule to viewing just your Assignments. This approach is quite nice as it allows you to see when your assignments are due and compare it with what your doing that day, week, etc to help you manage your time more efficiently. You can also add an assignment from here directly. Tap the plus icon located in the top right corner. Add the course, assignment name and details, due date and priority as well as push notification reminder and any partners you are working with to compete the assignment. Your partner information is pulled directly from your contacts list.

The next icon is your Assignments section. This is the place to view anything about what assignments you have, grades and completed courses. This section is divided into two areas; Current and Completed. Current lists your assignments by either Due Date, Course or Priority. Simply tap the choice you want and iStudiez will display and sort the results of your choosing. The completed section shows your completed course date and and course with your grade for that class.

The last section is the Planner icon. This area allows you to configure your Semesters, Holidays and Instructors. Your semesters can be be given a date range, nothing too exciting there. Next you can add your course and give it a color to help it stand out in the crowd. You can set your class as a regular class, single class or an exam. When you do this you also have the ability to set up that specific class's schedule. You can pick the days of the week, its repeat schedule, instructor and location. You can enter the name, date and location for your exams as well. You can also enter in all of your instructor data from name, title, phone and email to office hours. You even get a comprehensive list of the classes that professor teaches based on what you have entered in your courses. Yes, tapping the phone number will launch the Phone app and email will compose and email; very convenient!

You have awesome control on how all of this data gets displayed in iStudiez. You can customize default phrases on your calendar such as "No classes today" and change that to "It's a beach day!" for example. You can determine what information your calendar can specifically show. Turn off iOS calendar events if you want. Add a course color to differentiate between classes , assignments in the calendar; you have complete control. For me, a particularly useful option that is off by default is displaying week number.

There is not much else to say other than if you have an iOS device, buy this app immediately. It's universal you can run it on an iOS device and the price is beyond reasonable at $2.99; the developer could easily charge more than that simply for the value in time savings that this app will give you.

[$2.99- iTunes Link]

Pros

• Robust course management app
• Integrates your iOS calendar with specific iStudiez data
• Universal app, BONUS!!!
• Helpful back-up via email feature
• A Lite version is available to try out

Cons

• Cannot sync data between iPhone/iPad or other iDevices (a sync solution is in the works)

I noticed Gourmet Live in the App Store for iPad and I thought I would give it a try. I have to admit, I have not been much of a foodie for most of my life. But, as I get older, it is just fun to create awesome meals for friends and family. Gourmet Live is different than other magazine-type apps on the App Store. For starters, the Magazine is online (only 1.9MB to download); you need an Internet connection to get to your content. The app seemed to download content in the background when you launch it, then makes all of it available for offline use. Slick, I like it.

The articles in Gourmet Live are well written and use excellent photography to bring the stories to life; they have really done a great job. You get your usual stories, etc. However at first I was stunned that there were no apparent recipes! How can this be, it's Gourmet Magazine! Don't worry, the recipes are there you just have to "earn" them by using Gourmet Live's innovative rewards system. As you browse and share content via Twitter or Facebook, the app will occasionally give you a pop-up indicating you have unlocked a reward and it begins downloading that content. You can immediately view it or reference it later. As you read an article you can choose to change your font size (three sizes are available) and put an article into favorites for reference later. Overall, the app is responsive and fast, oh and did I mention it's free? That's right free. The funny thing is I have not seen a single ad so far.

Something else I have noticed that seems to be a trend that is about to happen on the iPad App scene. Gourmet Live is only viewable in portrait, no landscape here folks. I suppose this is not too much of an issue as there is a substantial amount of expense to reformat pages, etc for landscape as opposed to portrait. If this becomes the norm for this style of App I am ok with it as long as it is free, as in this case, or publishers begin to use a subscription option so I'm not paying $4.99 an issue WITH ads.

If this is the future of print magazines I for one, like it. Sure, you don't have the high level of interaction as the Wired app for iPad, but what you do get is a straight forward viewing and content experience for those of us that like the simpler things and, oh yeah, good food.

[Free- iTunes Link]

Pros

• Free!
• Great content
• Innovative rewards system
• Small file size (this issue is 1.9MB)

Cons

• No landscape
• Content must download in background before viewing

The music subscription-based Napster application is now available in the App Store to use on your iPhone or iPod touch. Last year the application seemed to be ready to go but due to apparent high licensing fees it was never released. The app made it's debut last night and gives you the capability to save songs, albums and playlists for offline playback and also tosses in music recommendations for your listening pleasure.

While the application is free to download, there is a $10 a month fee attached to the Napster plus mobile subscription to use on your iOS device. With so many subscription-based music services already available do you think Apple has been thinking twice about introducing their own service or are they taking their time developing something much bigger and better?

[iTunes link - free]

Grand Theft Auto: Chinatown Wars HD for iPad (GTA henceforth) is a great homage to its console brethren. Good story? Check. Good graphics? Check. Plenty of adult-themed action, adventure, and melodrama? Check. Check. Check.

You start off GTA on a flight back to the US, specifically Liberty City to transport your recently deceased Chinese Mafia Father's sword to the new leader. However, as soon as you arrive you are kidnapped and left for dead. Without spoiling anymore of the story, that's where you begin. I am not going to give away any more of what happens to you. Instead I am going to focus on the play mechanics, environments, etc.

GTA is structured in an isometric 3/4 view topdown action game. You are centered above Huang Lee's (the main character) head and move him around via a virtual d-pad on the bottom left of the screen. You can sometimes get turned around quite easily, so you can center the camera behind your character by double-tapping the d-pad. On the left of the screen you have your action buttons. These buttons are dynamic depending on what you are doing. You basically have some core functions; jump-kick, leap (over an obstacle such as a fence) and punch. If you acquire a weapon, the punch button is replaced with the weapon of choice. However, switching weapons is a little painful; you have to go to the pause menu located in the upper left and tap the weapon you want. This can remove you from the action in the middle of a fire-fight and is a bit disappointing.

The story is driven by mini-quests typically given to you by your uncle early in the game. You go to his house, some dialog ensues and you are then sent on your way. Examples might be to meet a family friend and escort them to a location, take out a rival gang and more. To do this you have to take advantage of your environment such as car-jacking anything from trucks to motorcycles to boats in the harbor.

The environment is absolutely huge. To help you get around you are given a GPS with map to get you to any destination. This is a very necessary tool. I couldn't tell you how big the city is in virtual miles, but it is quite large and with a lot of variety. You have everything in Liberty city including different burrows ala New York City style. You can go where you want, take people out for cash, play mini games all while time moves in accelerated time. Day goes to night and so on. The night effects are particularly nice as car, street and building lights all have neat effects on the environment which is quite impressive.

I think it's a fair statement that though there have been a few iterations of the game, the iPad version resigns supreme if for only having the larger screen. I absolutely love the gameplay and the fun uses of the touch screen from throwing out trash in a dumpster to manually having to hot-wire a car. Is the game groundbreaking? No, especially compared to other consoles. Is it fun? Oh yeah.

[$9.99- iTunes Link]

Pros

• Great graphics- details, light effect, shadows, etc
• Pedestrian back-talk
• Robust mobile iteration of the consoles legacy
• Easy to play with the iPad screen

Cons

• Inconvenient means to switch weapons
• Vehicle controls can be frustrating at times

I have seen Final Freeway in the App Store for a while and just glanced by. When looking at apps to review this week I felt a little nostalgic and thought I would give this little gem a spin. The result? Well, if you enjoy old-school arcade racing, if you remember when Out Run was the arcade game, then Final Freeway is for you!

Off the bat, the game is dead simple. Start off by going to Options and you can change your control type from accelerometer to to touch steering. I really prefer the accelerometer steering and once you turn on horizon tilt it gets a lot better.

Jumping into a game starts with two choices: Normal or Expert. Be warned, this game gets tough as more traffic and the time limit starts to hinder your progress. Next you have three choices for music. Unfortunately you can't select iPod music at this time (the developer says they are working hard on a substantial update, we shall see what this brings). From here, the race begins!

Controls are precise and responsive as you fly really fast around the tracks. You have a few different control layouts in options for gas, break, etc. From here it is time to beat the clock and avoid the traffic. When you reach a check point, the game continues, but you do not have any branching paths, you continue through six total levels for the high score.

I had a lot of fun with this game. Since the levels are relatively short and with fast task switching, it makes for an excellent pick up and play game when you have the time. Sure there is a big "Cons" list below, but for $.99 this is a must have app for any classic racing fan; no regrets.

[$.99- iTunes Link]

Pros

• Classic racing action
• Similar to the arcade classic "Out Run"
• Fast frame rate- almost too fast!
• Retina display support for iPhone 4
• Universal app for iPhone and iPad
• Pick back up and play with iOS4

Cons

• No "tree" to show level progression
• Only three music tracks
• No iPod music option
• Only one car to choose from
• No Internet scoring fro global high scores (Plus+ or OpenFeint for example)

I have to admit, I am not much of a Sudoku player. Not because I don't like it, but because I am horrendously slow at it and I always feel inadequate playing since my wife is about twice as fast as me solving puzzles on even a much higher difficulty. However, I sucked up my gumption and thought I would give Finger Arts latest release a try.

Sudoku 2 HD Pro is simple enough. Tapping play will start you off with successive difficulty levels which will only be unlocked after beating the previous difficulty twice. Fortunately, there is a super easy mode called "Flash".

I won't go over the play mechanics of Sudoku, instead let's elaborate what Sudoku 2 HD Pro does to enhance the game on iPad. After your game starts you have numbers on the bottom (portrait) or on the sides (landscape). To place a number on screen, tap the space you wish to place the number to and then tap the number. Once placed, other numbers on the sudoku board will have a green highlight to them. This helps you by pointing out other numbers so you can isolate where to play your next number. You can do this for any number at any time, you don't have to place a number, instead simply tap any number in the field and it will highlight the same number tiles in green.

If you are not sure what number to play, you can use the convenient drawing tool to place the numbers you think might be needed on a particular tile on the board. To do this, tap the empty tile on the board then the drawing icon. Next, just tap the number(s) you want in the space and you are done. The game will even remove all obsolete notes in a tile once the correct tile is placed. If you get stuck, you can also tap the hint button. You are allowed three hints per game. The hint will highlight the suggested corresponding next move (you are also allowed three mistakes that don't count against your score. The devs feel this is the appropriate number to include accidental screen taps).

Once you register for OpenFeint you can start playing games and saving your high scores online, but you still have some options to choose from. First You have your typical volume and music volume levels. Next you have game specific options to turn off the auto green tile select for like numbers. This is an incredibly useful option that can help you spot patterns more easily. I would only turn this off if you are a gluten for punishment.

The OpenFeint integration is really a nice added bonus to the game. Typically Sudoku games are individual but this adds a layer of social-ness to the game. You can see who has the highest score (this is calculated by the number you are placing... errr, it's a really fancy formula) and it also keeps track of your runs (a run is an uninterrupted sequence of games own) and achievements!

I really like Sudoku Pro 2 and will be playing it for months to come. Perhaps one day I will even break the 10,000 point barrier, but likely not the current point leader with a whopping 105,622 point lead...

[$2.99- iTunes Link]

Pros

• Simple, easy, fun Sudoku!
• Online Leaderboards
• Can change tiles/look
• Screen rotation
• Hint system
• Resumes if you quit

Cons

• More tile/background customization options
• No iPod music background controls from within the app

Highborn is a turn-based strategy game for iPad set in a fantasy environment with paladins, wizards and warriors. What sets Highborn apart for the mix of other worthy turn-based games is it's humor and asynchronous multiplayer gameplay.

You start the game off with "Archie" your wise-cracking paladin. The game uses humor to its advantage to drive the story and successfully at that. You select your unit whether it's Archie, soldiers or archers and move them around the board to capture buildings and defeat the bay guys. You can tap on any character (good or bad) to see their movement range and attack range. Next you tap the location you would like your unit to move to. Then you can attack if next to an enemy or launch a distance attack if you are in range. Regretfully, once you have made a move (without ending your turn) you can not undo your move. This is frustrating, but you quickly learn to plan your moves out more carefully.

Capturing buildings and rune stones are a major part of Highborn. Towers typically attack you with catapults, buildings with arrows and so on. Most buildings come with a benefit too, once you capture them (which involves a battle) you earn something to help you in your battles. A monastery gives you a healer, a tower gives you a wizard and a farm building might give you angry farmers with pitchforks!

Each level in Highborn is individual, meaning that as you progress in the game, you don't necessarily carry your army with you. You sometimes get a bonus character to use during the level too. I was a little disappointed by this as it would be more fun to amass an army as you progress through the levels to some ultimate cataclysmic standoff! Sadly that is not the case here.

Multiplayer is a great addition to Highborn. Log into your OpenFeint account and you can play asynchronously like with Words with Friends or Scrabble. This is a blast, but the challenge is that you can only challenge friends to a game if they use OpenFeint. Granted, if they have the game they likely will, but it would be nice to be able to invite a player based on username or some other identifier.

There a few shortcomings with Highborn, but not don't let them distract you from the light-hearted fun turn-based strategy game. If you and a friend own it, multiplayer is awesome.

[$2.99- iTunes Link]

Pros

• Variety of terrain and enemies to fight
• Game gets progressively harder to build your skills
• Saves game if you need to quit
• Animated battles (can turn off in options)

Cons

• Simple graphics
• Can't undo a turn

With this weeks sale of Square-Enix games in honor of Chaos Rings release, I thought it fit to review Crystal Defenders for iPad. This is a very fun strategy/tower defense game: hardcore players apply only.

Crystal Defenders has you assume the role of master strategist as you place your units on a map to destroy the oncoming 30 waves of monsters trying to steal your crystals. Before you begin a game, you have to choose which game style you want. There are three to choose from: W1, W2 and W3. W1 is the easiest and simplest. The maps are not difficult and you do not have any power crystals (more on that later). W2 brings in the use of power crystals during gameplay and more challenging levels. W3 is the ultimate challenge. New monsters, units and very challenging maps.

The game revolves around Gil, which is your money/source for everything in the game. You use Gil to place units on the board and to upgrade them. The waves of monsters are cued up on the left of your screen and your units on the right. Before each wave of enemy monster you can place as many units as you would like onscreen till you use all of your Gil. Then, with the tap of the screen the oncoming horde commences towards the level exit and you have to cross your fingers that your units can defend your crystals. The good news; even during a wave you can still place and upgrade your units and if needed pause the action in the middle of a wave. If you become impatient, you can speedup the action 4X so waves complete very quickly.

You have a wide variety of units and monsters. There is the standard solider fanfare as well as archers, mages, thieves, hunters, etc. All of these types of units are necessary as monsters have varying levels of HP, resistance to physical, magical or air attacks and movement.

Once you progress past the W1 levels, the W2 levels give the add strategy of power crystals. There are three crystals in your arsenal: red to increase damage, blue to increase distance and yellow to increase speed. It is imperative to place these crystals next to your most important units to give them an edge. Just like other units, the power crystals can be upgraded, but at a much higher Gil cost than your units. You also have the ability to cast what are called Espers. Espers are creatures that can cast a spell for a wave, like increase all unit damage for that wave; Espers come in really handy.

If you think you have what it takes, then this is the ultimate in Tower Defense games. Three levels of varying difficulty and challenges, deep strategy (it's the only way to win) and creatures and characters from the Final Fantasy universe make this a must have game for the enthusiast.

[$3.99- iTunes Link]

Pros

• Great fun!
• Bright, colorful graphics
• Familiar characters from the Final Fantasy universe

Cons

• Very difficult
• Simple graphics might shy players away

Like Star Wars? Like tower defense games? Then you might want to take a look at THQs recent release Star Wars: Battle for Hoth for iPhone. 

The game premise is that of all tower defense games; prevent your enemy (in this case the Imperial Empire) from reaching the other said of the map. As you play the game you get a fairly diverse set of units to deploy in defending Hoth. But, before I get into that, let's look at play mechanics first. 

You start Battle for Hoth with some simple ground troop units and a shovel. The shovel allows you to alter the landscape of the level and force units to move a certain route. This is a great tool in later levels as you can really funnel the Empire to their doom. When you place your units and they destroy a wave of Imperials, you are rewarded with a green wrench icon you have to touch to collect. This gives you points to build or upgrade units. You have to be fast though if you wait too long the wrench will change color to orange then red, decreasing the point value. Wait too long, and your points are gone forever.

As you play through the 15 levels you unlock more types of units including; seated blaster units, radar lasers, turrets, snow speeders, x-wings, shield generators and ion cannons. Some of the more complex units like the ion cannon, shield generators and turrets require an energy generator placed next to them. The energy generator is required to power those units. If you upgrade a unit (say the shield generator) without upgrading the energy unit, you run the risk of losing power to that unit so you always have to keep it in check. 

You can upgrade your existing units to make them more powerful and sell them as needed. I found the most fun in the game building up units under the safety of the shield generator and then taking out AT-ATs with relative ease once my units were upgraded to the maximum.

When writing this review, I have to admit I had some distaste for this game. Simple and not a lot of variety in what appeared to be a shameless use of an awesome gaming license. However, after I made my video review above, I am having a bit of a change of heart. I think I am trying to make Battle of Hoth more than it is;  a simple Star Wars-themed tower defense game to kill a view minutes in your day while standing in line to get groceries. Should you get it? If you are a Star Wars fan I think you will enjoy. If not, I would pass. 

[$2.99- iTunes Link]

Pros

• Fast gameplay
• Fun in small chunks
• Fast forward the game action
• Familiar Star Wars universe
• Units behave as they should

Cons

• Original game music is not the Star Wars music we love
• Easy is too easy
• Lacking variety of Star Wars units and ships

I was excited to see that Let's Golf 2 just appeared in the App Store! I am not a golfer in real life, but I enjoy a good golf game every once in a while. Let's jump right in and see what this new version has to offer.

Let's Golf 2 is not meant as a real golf simulation like a Tiger Woods Golf. Instead, you are greeted with cute, often funny characters in outlandish environments that are beautiful and colorful. This does not mean that the levels are easy, in fact they become quite challenging later in the game (how can that be a par 4, impossible!)

There are several new characters to select. But in the beginning of the game, you one have two to choose from; Vincent and Jane. As you progress through the levels, you unlock a lot of customizations including clothes, hair, golf balls and clubs. A fun addition is the new Skill for each character. I am using Jade for example and her power is "Power of Charm". This move is useful when putting as no matter how hard you hit the ball when putting, you can use her power to stop it anywhere on the green. The character powers, once used, have to replenish over time and can't be used again and again without replenishing; use your characters power wisely.

Single Player has a few different modes to choose from; Instant Play where you play across three random holes from a variety of courses. Career where you complete against other virtual players for the trophy. Challenge where you play a series of "challenges" and score the highest points. Free Hole where you can setup the course you would like to play. As you play courses you earn points and medals that go towards unlocking courses and character customizations as well as increasing your character's abilities.

Multiplayer uses Gameloft Live for online play, but you can also play locally with Wi-Fi and Bluetooth. Once online you can create or join a room and view the leaderboard. The game is a blast online as you complete in matches against a competitor from around the world.

Gameplay in Let's Golf 2 is really straight forward. You can tap on the course map on the left of the screen to view where the ball is going and tap left or right on the screen to adjust or use the zoom controls to pan away form the action for a big picture of the course. You have the option of changing your clubs as well, but I have found for the most part the AI does a good enough job that I don't have to change clubs too often, I can typically control the outcome of my swing by adjusting the strength I am swinging. Swinging your club is accomplished by tapping the golf ball on the right to start swinging and then tapping it again to center the swing for angle and strength. One feature that is missing is some sort of advanced club swinging mechanic. These swinging moves are typically accomplished by swiping your finger in a direction and letting go at the strength you want. Alas, this feature is not available that I have been able to find it.

I really enjoy Let's Golf 2, but there is one issue that really bugs me. The framerate/accuracy of your club swings is not spot on. Depending on the course I often find that I have to touch the swinging meter ahead of when I plan to swing in order to assure accuracy. This is really frustrating sometimes as golf is a game that focuses on the smaller number of strokes in a game and I often find that through no mistake of my own, I miss a swing or calculate the incorrect swinging strength because of this flaw.

Don't let my previous statement sway you from getting this game. Granted, the timing of some swings can be frustrating but the online play coupled with many characters and unlockables makes for a fantastic golf game.

[$4.99- iTunes Link]

Pros

• Colorful graphics
• Diverse courses
• Unlockable characters
• Unlockable character customizations
• Online and local wireless play
• Many different types of golf games to play

Cons

• Framerate can be slow at times
• Easy to miscalculate swing due to input latency

Can Gameloft deliver with their sequel to Hero of Sparta? I think the answer is a resounding yes. Though not perfect, Hero of Sparta II (HOS2) delivers pure action and colorful graphics on Apple's noble iPhone and iPod Touch.

HOS2 is an action game spun in the Greek mythological era of the Gods and Goddesses. You play the warrior Argos. I won't get into his story here, but in this game you are sent on a path of redemption. You return to Earth after spending some buddy time with Hades and immediately the action starts. The controls are different than its predecessor. The main diffidence is that Argos can now jump. This adds a much needed play mechanic to HOS2. In the weapon department, you start off with the basic shield and sword. After every level or so, you start to collect a variety of different and useful weapons including: wings that can be used to glide and attack, a helmet that give Argos the ability hurls fireballs, and my favorite the claws which give you God of War like attacks against your enemies.

The levels are mostly linear, but on occasion you can find a hidden area that has extra gems. You can collect red balls that can be used to increase the attack and magical attack of each weapon. Blue gems to replenish magic and green gems to gain back health. You can also collect additional gems that can be added to your weapon of choice to gain attack/magic bonuses like a +2 to attack, for example.

Pulling off attacks is fun. You have an attack button that when pressed successively, gives you a combo attack on your enemy. However, you can add a modifier to your attack by swiping up, down, left and right. If you use the down motion it will typically cause a "shield break" maneuver with your selected weapon to destroy a shield or some other object. Using the up swipe will launch your enemy in the air for you to unless even more combos.

I am very pleased with the variety of levels in HOS2. You have a lot of different interactive events from running acorss a crumbling bridge to swinging with the claw weapon like a vine to climbing towers. The enemies in HOS2 are not as great. I found that I was constantly fighting the same 3-4 enemies every time with an occasional 5th monster added just for variety. A new enemy feature which is enjoyable is "taking control" of the enemy. For example, the Minator can be controlled by following a series of button presses on screen. You can then control the Minator and attack the baddies. Regretfully, there is not much of a boss battle. There is a boss at the end of every level in HOS2, but you rarely actually attack them. Instead, you typically dodge their attacks or dodge environmental variables. This is somewhat disappointing, but there is plenty of action when fighting during the levels.

The graphics have really be stepped up in this release. There is an insane amount of detail close up with a wide variety of color and textures; make no doubt, HOS2 is very pretty and impressive. However, all of this comes at a controversial cost in this reviewers opinion; framerate. HOS2 moves nicely if you are in a relatively enclosed area with a couple of enemies, but this is rarely the case. You are typically fighting 5 or more bad guys at once in an open area and this is where the framrate begins to suffer. I estimate this game runs at an average of 15-20 frames per second. This can become frustrating when trying to string combos together,etc. I can only hope that Gameloft will update this app soon. Gameloft did an awesome update to GT Motoracing Academy to the pleasure of many fans and I hope that they do the same here.

Overall, HOS2 is a must buy for any action fan. If you are looking for the silky smooth framerate of say, N.O.V.A, look elsewhere. If you want a solid, fun action game that pays homage to God of War, then this is the game for you.

[$6.99- iTunes Link]

Pros

Cons

By now you probably know that I am big into productivity apps and I am always looking for the next big thing. I use a lot of task management apps on the iPad, and there are some great ones for sure. However, I have just come across the ultimate task management app for your iPad; OmniFocus. This is, without a doubt the best app for utilizing David Allen's "Getting Things Done" (GTD) methodology. What makes this app stand out so much are three things: good design, Forecast and Review. But, I am probably getting ahead of myself. Let's start at the beginning. Note, a lot of the features I am going to discuss are not unique to OmniFocus, but I think it is fair to describe them so you know what is contained in GTD and can get a better grasp for how it is used. For this review I literally rebuilt my tasks in the app form scratch except for the made-up Inbox screenshot below. I had to do that since I am already organized

Gather your stuff

Organize

On the OmiFocus sidebar located on the right of the screen in landscape or the overlap menu in portrait contains the link for creating projects. Once you tap it, you are presented with a screen that displays what projects you have. If you don't have any, tap the plus sign in the top right. A project can have a few different types: Sequential, Parallel and Single. Sequential means that the project you are about to start follows the typical finish-start task relationship in project management. So, back to my previous painting the house example, you must finish buying the paint before you start to paint the house. Parallel means that the tasks do not have to have a specific order. For example, I have bills due this month, it doesn't matter when I pay them as long as they are paid by the 30th. Last we have Single. Single is used if there really is a single task to your project, or, how  I use it, a general grouping of unrelated tasks that fall under a bigger more general umbrella like "Personal" or "Work". Hmm, let's talk about those bigger umbrellas now.

Once you have projects outlined you can group them together into logical areas of your life. Tap the plus button in the top left and choose folder. Some examples of my folders include: Personal, TiPb and a couple of work-related folders- that's it. Every project, every task in my life can be put into projects within these folders.

Now, to maximize your time completing tasks within your projects, you can use what are called Contexts. Think of a context as a way to virtually group your tasks into a place or method of communicating. For example, I have an errands context I assign to tasks that I need to do while I am out shopping. I have an email context for when, if I am doing email, I can get those specific tasks completed and so on. But what is the best part about contexts in OmniFocus? You can create location- based contexts! For example, I create a location context for Starbucks (where I do most of my writing). I assign that context to tasks I need to get done when I am at Starbucks. When I arrive, I tap on that context and using the iPad's location services, it finds my location and tell me relevant tasks that I have selected that need to be done in this location. Another example might be creating a context for different office locations at work. I need to speak to certain people at a location. I assign that location context to a task and OmniFocus only shows me contexts for that location.

At this point things might start to sound a little overwhelming. I mean, you have a billion tasks with a million projects, even with contexts and due dates, how do you keep it all in order? That is where OmniFocus really shines. Where other task management apps end, the power of OmniFocus really shows it's stuff.

First, you can filter your projects and tasks by seeing only what is the very next action (task) in each project to be completed, see what tasks are available across projects (even items that are on Hold, more on that in a minute), what active tasks are remaining and all of your tasks. You can easily focus on specific projects by tapping and holding on the title. It magically makes the other projects go away so you can focus on the project or task at hand. Using the same method, you can quickly expand all or collapse all to make viewing even easier.

Forecast and Reviews

Review allows you to literally review your projects on a weekly basis. You can change this interval to another time, but I think one week works well. This is so incredibly useful. It acts like a reminder, but without nagging. You can review your project, add tasks, adjust due dates and more knowing that in a week, it will be time to review these projects again. Of course this is something you should be doing anyway, but building it into the app was pure genius.  You can do more than just marking  a project complete. You can change the status of the project to Active (which is the default), On Hold (if you don't know when you will complete it or need more information), Completed (Yeah, it's done. Think if it like you are archiving the completed project) and Dropped (Canceled).

Syncing and conclusion

I did not cover every aspect of OmniFocus here (yes, there is more...) but I think you have a good indication of what it does and how well it does it. Oh, and did I mention it's pretty with a cool app icon? Those are great bonuses, but this is clearly leaps and bounds ahead of what else is out there and our patience for this app release has truly been rewarded; thanks OmniFocus. It would be nice if there was a lite version of this app as the $39.99 price might be too steep from some. However, if you use the GTD methodology, then you are probably already hooked.

[$39.99- iTunes Link]

Pros

• Beautiful, intuitive design
• Workflow to add tasks is painless
• Multiple organization options
• Different sync options

Cons

• Expensive
• No way to sync to the web via a website (like Toodledo)
• No lite version is available for users to try before buying

Plunderland is Apple's App of the Week this week. Does it deserve it? Yes and no. Developer JohnnyTwoShoes has made a solid effort to bring pillaging across the sea in the hands of eager gamers.

The premise of Plunderland is you are a ghost with pirates that sail across the sea to attack and sink enemy ships, pillage tribes people and take money from their monuments then make it to the next port. Sounds fun? Well, get used to it because that is what you do over, and over, and over again with little variety. Call me a stinker, but I don't see the allure with this game.

Sure, the water physics are nice. You tilt the iPhone left or right to make your boat move in that direction. When there is a storm, etc, the water behaves in a more erratic manor, making maneuvering more difficult. Once you are on the high seas, you come across your enemy; the British warships. You have a couple ways to take them out. First is to use your ships cannon. You have a nifty way of angling the cannon to shoot your targets, just move your finger along the bottom and you will get a reticule via a line that helps your aiming. Release your finger and you fire your cannonballs. Second, you can use the enemies cannonballs against themselves. Before the enemy launches an attack, the cannon will puff smoke, that is your cue to ready your finger and deflect the cannonball back upon the enemy ship and with luck, split it in two!

I know, I make it sound exhilarating, and it is the first two or three times you do it. Sadly, Plunderland does little to keep your attention. Future attacks add blimps and more, but the fun is gone by that point. The attacking villagers is a simple "tap, tap. tap" on the totems to get money and fling some villagers around in an effort to extract some more dough. Again... zzzz...

There is nice upgrade system though, you can upgrade your ship, cannons and bowsprits by earning said money above. The game has excellent promise. The controls, physics and graphical style all lend them selves to a success. However, the bland  I really, really wanted to like this game, being highlighted on Apple's App Store, but alas, mateys, I just can't bring myself to recommend this lack-luster treasure.

[$2.99- iTunes Link]

UPDATE: I had a delightful Twitter chat with the developers. I explained that I had played 50% thorough the game and became unchallenged with the levels and objectives. They understood and are looking at a way to unlock the more exciting and complex levels earlier for more "hardcore" gamers. I also said that when I find the time to complete the game 100%, I would update this review to include my findings. I am hopeful that by the time I do this, they will have some new content available. You can follow the developer on Twitter here.

Pros

• Great graphics
• Solid frame-rate
• Good physics engine
• Upgrade system

Cons

• Very, very, very repetitive
• Takes a while to become a challenge (the end of the second chapter)

Pottery HD is a unique virtual clay pottery app that can really only be done on the iPad. It shows what an enterprising developer can do with a large multitouch interface. This game is fun and relaxing.

When the game first launches, I was caught a little off guard as I had no idea what to do. You have a "Create" button and that is it. So, I started to create, experimenting with the controls. You can make the clay taller and shorter, wider and thinner. That's about it. So, I made a pot and fired it up in the kiln. When it was done, it gave me an option to sell it. I thought to myself, "Who is going to buy it?". As it turns out, no one regretfully as it is all virtual. Once I sold my pottery I earned some virtual money. At the main menu a new feature appeared, "Shop". Now I had access to paints and brushes. I had a new feature appear as well, "Inbox". So it appears that as you play the game you are given different objectives; unique pieces of pottery to make. You can reference the photo given to you and once you make it, you can send it off to the virtual requestor. You can play Pottery HD independent of the virtual quests and just have fun adding lots of different pottery creations to your collection. If you like, you can even share these creations with friends via email.

I have had a lot of fun with this game, however, I left it me wanting so much more. For example, I would like a way to regulate the spinning of the pottery wheel; it stays at a constant speed. Also, you can't add or remove clay either. It would be great to add globs of clay to truly make your pottery any size you want, but instead, you are limited by the vertical size of the screen. The biggest enhancement I would like to see is the ability to share online. The marketplace is limited to a virtual settings, you can't see other users creations. This is such a wasted opportunity in my opinion.

Overall I really enjoyed Pottery HD, but it's glaring lack of features and options lend me to recommending only for the most casual of users.

[$4.99- iTunes Link]

Pros

• Pottery looks beautiful
• Sensation of actually making pottery
• the Inbox adds hours of creative fun if you are stumped on what to make

Cons

• Not completely fleshed out with features (missing ability to control clay wheel rotation)
• No Internet- based way to trade with others

Gameloft's NOVA has just received one awesome update; high-res retina display support and the ability to use the gyroscope (looks like Gun Range proved useful after all) for iPhone 4. First let's talk graphics...

This game looks absolutely amazing. Color. Crispness. It's all there. No aliasing problems, things just look great. Now for the not so great news, the Gyroscope.

I have been playing with the NOVA update for the last couple of days and for the life of me, I can't seem to feel comfortable using the gyroscope in conjunction with the traditional controls. Sure, the gyroscope is precise. Sure you can pivot in a circle and the game will rotate with you. But when it comes to playing in a firefight with aliens, it is hard to be using the traditional controls to pan while using the gyroscope to aim. Perhaps I just don't have the reflexes of my youth, but I found the experience frustrating. Thankfully you can turn the gyroscope controls off.

This was just my experience, how are you liking the update? Let us know in the comments!

Video after the break.

[$4.99- iTunes link]

Having played Spider on the iPhone, I was really excited to see what Spider: Bryce Manor HD had to offer for the iPad. As with most iPhone to iPad games, the experience is much better having the increased screen real estate. Let's take a look at the game.

Movement is accomplished by tapping and holding the direction on the screen you wish to walk. You can leap great distances by swiping your finger in the direction you want to go. You can spin webs by tapping the spider, then swiping the direction you want; that will spin a section of a silk web. You need to interlace at least three pieces of silk to make a web.

How do you defeat your enemies? Well, you have a couple of different ways. Your enemies consist of several different types of annoying bugs. Some are simple to capture, others can be very frustrating (such as the mosquito that dodges your every move). You capture insects by spinning silk. You have a silk meter in the bottom left. When you launch to make a web, you use one piece of silk. Silk is replenished x2 when you capture and consume your prey. So, it may take 3 pieces of silk to make a web, but if  you only capture one insect, you are down one piece of silk. The goal is to capture as many insects in a web as possible to rack up silk and points. If you run out of silk, you have just a little bit of time before it's game-over; you will need to consume prey before the timer runs out!

Insects can be killed differently depending on the enemy, for example, wasps can't be captured in a web, you have to leap at them and crush them against a surface. Moths can be tricked to swarm together by triggering a light and dragon flies and be knocked dizzy and pushed into a web for consumption.

Spider HD has 38 levels to keep you busy and many levels have "secrets" to unlock. There is also a fun multiplayer mode and once you beat the game you have additional game modes to play such as a time attack mode and more.

I really enjoyed Spider HD and with the iPad's larger screen, it is even more fun to play. This is one of those must-buys on iPad if you like this style of game.

[$4.99- iTunes Link]

Pros

• Unique game
• Beautiful graphics
• Lots of levels
• Challenging gameplay

Cons

• Sometimes I find the leaping precision to be off, but it could be me
• Some levels are really short

My latest favorite iPhone game is Fruit Ninja. The premise of Fruit Ninja is simple; slice fruit, don't miss any and don't slice a bomb by mistake. Sound easy? Think again grasshopper! After beginning a game, fruit flies up from the bottom of the screen. You use your finger (or fingers) to slice the fruit. If a fruit falls back off the screen without being sliced, you receive an X. Three X's and it's game over. To make things interesting, bombs are thrown into the mix as well. So, not only are you trying to slice a lot of fruit coming at you and not missing any, you have bombs that shoot up as well. The challenge is, if you slice the bomb, it's instant game-over.

When it comes to difficulty with this game, it is a nice and smooth curve. The issue is that once you get good at it, it would be nice to start at a higher difficulty. However, Fruit Ninja always starts you back at the beginning. Your efforts are not at a loss though, the game has plenty of achievements via Open Feint and unlockables. Different colored swords and backgrounds can be unlocked if you have the dedication and skill of a true ninja.

Fruit Ninja also has two different play modes. First is Classic. This is the primary play mode I have described above. Score points by slicing fruit while avoiding the bombs. Zen mode is fun and fast. There are no bombs, but you have a time limit to slice as many fruits as you can. This is not hard, what is hard to is to slice with combos to rack up more points. Check out the Open Feint leaderboards and you will see what I am talking about.

I can't say enough about this game. It has great art direction, animation and fun. When you lose, it even gives you facts about fruit. This is a near-perfect game, I love it!

[$0.99- iTunes Link]

Pros

• Fun gameplay
• Great graphics
• Unlockable content

Cons

• No option to start at a higher difficulty

My latest productivity app this week? Penultimate for iPad. There are several competing "free hand" note taking apps on our favorite tablet device. After our recent TiPb at Work Post, I thought I would see if Penultimate tries to separate itself from other note apps on the iPad. Is being simple with just enough  of a "feature" to get the job done enough?

Penultimate starts you off with a single notebook. That notebook serves as a tutorial to show you how to use Penultimate. The example notebook is excellent as it "teaches" you everything you need to know about the app. The basic setup is this; you can have virtually unlimited notes in your notebook. You tap the bottom right corner to go to the next page and the bottom left corner to go to the previous page. You have a pen, eraser and a clear page button at the bottom as well. On the main screen you can create your own notebook, email or delete notebooks as need, you can even rename them by tapping the name located below the notebook.

Writing in Penultimate is a pure joy. As you draw or write with your fingers, the developers have given the virtual ink a very distinct look, almost like calligraphy. The ink is thick in some areas and thinner in others. If you want to adjust the thickness or color of your ink, simply tap and hold the pen icon at the bottom of the page to make your changes.

You can create new notebooks with the tap of a button located in the top left hand corner. The top right hand corner gives you additional settings. The style of paper be changed from graph to lined for example, you can reposition the tools (pen, eraser, etc.) to the top of the page and even email the entire notebook or just the page you are on via email. Penultimate converts the notebooks to PDFs for emailing.

I like Penultimate for what it does; it is a simple no-frills note taking tool. I find there to be a couple of irritations however. In landscape view, you are given a cropped view of the page and you can flick the right side of the screen to scroll towards the top and bottom. I feel there has to be a better way to implement this, or, give me completely different functionality in landscape. The other issue is that there is no way to zoom to give yourself more space; the notebook is it's real size and there is no zooming. I would have liked to have seen a pinch-zoom function that increased the size of your note area. Ah, perhaps in a future release. Regardless, Penultimate is a beautiful fun and easy note taking tool that most of use can find a  use for in our busy lives.

[$2.99- iTunes Link]

Pros

• Simple
• Beautiful design
• Ink looks great
• Animation is smooth

Cons

• Landscape view is awkward to use
• No pinch to zoom functionality

This week I am taking a look at Air Display by Avatron Software. You may have heard of Avatron as they make the great Air Sharing apps for iPhone and iPad. This app works like an external display for your Mac desktop or laptop (good news PC owners, it will work on a PC soon!).

To get started, you need to download the desktop app from Avatron's website. The desktop app works like a display driver for an external monitor. Once installed, you will need to pair your iPad and Mac together. You can set the Air Display app to appear in the Apple menu bar across the top of the screen for easy access.

Once activated, open the app on the iPad. You get the typical background wallpaper that you have set for your external monitors. If you choose, you can even change the wallpaper for the iPad when displaying as a monitor. One of the first things I recommend doing is going into your Apple System Preferences and arranging the iPad monitor the way you want. Right side, left side, etc. I also took the extra effort to have the iPad's placement reflect proper placement on the Monitor Arrangement screen too. This way when you drag your cursor to the iPad, it represents its real-time location. One more thing when it comes to monitor setup on the Mac, if you use Spaces, the iPad shows up as an individual display on each separate space- nice.

Once configured, using Air Display is a breeze; drag content to the iPad and release, it's that simple. Due to the iPad's size, apps that are best used on the display are things like iChat, Skype, etc. Also, since the monitor is projected via Wi-Fi, the monitor refresh is poor. So, as you move windows or objects around, they tend to be a little jerky. I would not use this monitor for anything that involves animation for this reason.

If you find your desktop just isn't big enough and using Spaces on your Mac can't get the job done, Air Display is an excellent way to use your iPad when it is just chillin' next to your Mac.

[$9.99- iTunes Link]

Pros

• Excellent external mini-monitor
• Great for Chats or Skype
• Shows as an additional monitor in Spaces on the Mac
• Works as advertised

Cons

• Movement is slow and jerky
• Can't use effectively for anything that requires animation

iRealSMS 3.0 for iPhone is a jailbreak utility that you can use in place of the default messaging app.  Up until this point, I had always used QuickReply for SMS.  A several of you TiPb'ers recommended I look at iRealSMS 3.0 so I did. And I'm impressed.  iRealSMS 3.0 exceeds the features of QuickReply for SMS by a landslide.

When you launch the app, you're greeted with a screen that shows 3 tabs along the bottom; folders, conversations, and settings.  Everything you need is in one easy to access place.  I like that aspect a lot, as most apps put their user configurations in settings, which just means you have to go one more place to make changes.  I wish more developers would start including settings within their applications.

One thing I didn't like about QuickReply was if you closed out of a text, you still had to exit out of what you were doing in order to respond.  This isn't the case with iRealSMS 3.0, you simply set a shortcut in your settings to be able to access Quick Send.  I love this feature as I'm really forgetful.  I will be playing a game or reading news feeds and think of 2 other things I needed to tell someone and have to close out of my current task in order to do it.  With iRealSMS, this is no longer a problem for me.

You also have the option of a blacklist feature.  You can also choose to have all texts sent by a blacklisted number automatically deleted.  Another feature that most texting apps lack is delivery notification.  Very handy feature.  Some users reported it didn't work but I tested it with a friend and it seemed to work okay with me.

Emoji also show up in an easy to access drop down menu or you can choose to have any emoticons you type out automatically turned into Emoji.  I remember last summer Leanna introduced me to the world of Emoji via the app store, and I haven't been able to go a day without them since (thanks Leanna!).

The price tag for iRealSMS 3.0 is a bit steep compared to that of its counterparts, but for the feature set you get, the $9.99 price tag may be well justified.  There's a free trial as well, so you can always try it out and see if it seems like a good value to you, and purchase after giving it a test run.

iRealSMS also has an iRealNetwork, as they call it, which will allow you to buy texting credits if you don't wish to have a texting package.  The current rate is 8 EURO cents per text (of course you'll have to convert that to your own currency).  In almost every case, that'll average out to a heck of a lot cheaper than standard texting plans cost for those of you who are looking to save some cash or cut out texting charges.

If you picked up iRealSMS 3.0 or have another jailbreak text supplement you use, let us know what you think in the comments!

Pros

• Folders
• Blacklist
• Snappy response times
• Very configurable
• QuickSend option
• Credit System for those who don't have a texting package
• In-App Settings
• Voice Notification if you choose to enable

Cons

• Price is a bit steep
• Delivery Notification not very reliable

Normally, this would not necessarily be too exciting, except I just got done testing this release. I am very excited to report that I was able to log in to my remote desktop, then check mail and other apps. Put the iPhone to sleep, come back minutes later and open LogMeIn Ignition and... my desktop was still there!

They're no doubt using iOS 4 multitasking's task completion feature (the same one that lets uploads finish in the background). It won't let you keep the connection open forever -- more like 10 minutes -- but it's still fantastic and I can't recommend this app enough. This is very exciting to see developers adopting iOS 4 so quickly and in a useful manor.

Oh, and here is a tip. If you keep LogMeIn "running" in the background for a while, and want to make sure you don't get a timeout error when you return to the app, check the setting on the client machine. It needs to be more than iOS 4's 10 minute task completion limit (the default on mine was 20 min.)

[$29.99- iTunes Link]

With the iPhone 4 now available, many people want to use that gorgeous retina display to begin reading books on the go via iBooks. We have looked at iBooks on the iPhone 3GS and on the iPad. How does iBooks compare on the iPhone 4?

The good news is that with the increased speed of the A4 processor in iPhone 4 and the retina display, your reading experience is fast and beautiful with iBooks. Let's look at the processor impact first. Many of us eagerly updated our iPhone 3G and 3GS devices when the iOS4 updated became available and quickly downloaded iBooks from the App Store. Sadly, the performance on of iBooks on 3G devices was, to say the least, very disappointing. So much so that some of our readers uninstalled it immediately and rendered it useless. Others, like myself, had a good experience with iBooks on the iPhone 3GS. Not as zippy as iBooks on iPad, but definitely doable. I even encountered an issue where my impatience led me to believe that iBooks did not rotate into landscape. However, at the end of the day it looked good and performance was adequate.

Now the iPhone 4 steps into the scene. In my use of the app over the last 5 days since the device launch, it runs almost up to par with it's big tablet brother. There is still the initial screen to load the library, but after loading, books open responsively and PDF performance is great. I was able to open many PDFs with large images and file sizes with little problem. Of course, as file size increases, performance may decrease. I don't knock this as a downside since opening large PDF's can take a toll on desktop machines.

Next is the retina display. Does it make a difference? For me, the major benefit of the retina display is zooming in on text. In iBooks, you can't zoom on text in real-time, just enlarge the font. Granted, there are absolutely no jaggies, but does it improve my overall reading experience? I would say yes, but it is not a deal breaker. Where the retina display really shines is viewing PDFs- they are stunning. Zoom in as far as you like and the text looks fantastic. The artwork can too, based on the quality of the PDF. Anything you can do to make the viewing experience more pleasant in a mobile device with a screen size like the iPhone is a bonus. Yes the retina display makes a marginal difference when reading iBooks, but by no means is it a deal-breaker. iBooks on iPhone 4 for PDFs, now that is awesome.  If you are reading iBooks on the 3GS, I feel you have a comparable screen-reading experience- even on the 3G for most things, but the PDFs are heads and shoulders above what theses other device can offer.

Syncing between devices is a breeze. I have an active iPad, 3GS and iPhone 4. After installing the app on your device and you open it for the first time, it asks you if you want to sync. After choosing yes, the device stealthily syncs in the background, you don't have to hit a button or anything. A spinning "gear" appears in the top right corner by the Wi-Fi and signal icons indicating it is doing its work. It takes just seconds for it to sync and you receive the bookmarks, notes, etc from what you have entered in a iBook and is synced to all devices when you open iBooks on that device.

iBooks for iPhone 4 is extremely polished (well except for a minor bug I encountered. It is captured in the video and screens) and the bookshelf looks amazing with all of the book artwork on the retina display. Text looks good too, though not as amazing as you might think unless you are reading PDFs. Performance is zippy and I think Apple is doing great for their first endeavor for ebooks. Now where is my desktop version?

[Free- iTunes Link]

Pros

• App looks beautiful with the retina display
• Very responsive with the new faster A4 processor
• Colors really stand out
• PDF Text looks amazing

Cons

• Can’t export notes
• Can’t copy text
• Occasional bug/error "Failed to load book because the requested resource is missing"

Finally, iBooks for iPhone arrives! I have been enjoying iBooks on my iPad for some time now. With iBooks for iPhone many more people can enjoy portable reading with their phones. How does iBooks measure up? Keep reading to find out!

After updating to iOS4 for iPhone 3GS I promptly downloaded iBooks. Apple has done a fantastic job with the application and it translates very nicely to the small screen. Let's start off with actually getting a book on your device. When you first launch the app, it asks if you want it to sync with other devices to keep bookmarks, notes, etc. in sync. Next, you are presented with a blank bookshelf. The promised Winnie the Pooh book is free, but you have to get it yourself. So to do that, I tapped the store icon and the app rotated in 3D very smoothly to reveal the iBooks store. From here you can find any Featured books, the New York Times Charts, Search and review your purchases.

Tap a book you are interested in and and you can download a sample (the samples typically contain at least one whole chapter, but sometimes more) or purchase the book. So, I went to the search option and looked up Winnie the Pooh. After finding the book, I tapped the "Free" button, the store flipped back to reveal my bookshelf, or Library, and it proceeded to download. About 10 seconds later I had Winnie the Pooh on my iPhone.

To begin reading just tap the book and you are taken to the first page. To go back to the Library, tap the icon in the top left. To view the Table of Contents and Bookmarks, tap the icon next to that. Simply tapping the left to right side of the page turns it. You can't scroll up or down; that's not very book-like. You can tap and hold on any text to bring up a few different tools. Some of the more useful ones are Highlight, Dictionary and Note. You can tap highlight and iBooks applies a highlight to the text. Tap again and you can add a note or change the note color.

If tapping the side of the page doesn't excite you, the page can be manually turned by tapping and holding the bottom right corner and turning the page like a real book. The effect is gorgeous and it really is impressive. At the top of the page you have more choices beyond returning to the Library or the Table of Contents. You can adjust font size, change the font, adjust brightness (especially helpful at night) and a new feature- sepia color. This is particularly nice as it dulls down the very bright background and makes it a little easier on the eyes. Next, you can search within the iBook, but it doesn't stop there. You can also search in Google and Wikipedia right from the search page! When done reading, you can tap the top right corner of any page and place a bookmark. All bookmarks, notes and highlights are accessible from the Table of Contents page.

Another new feature that Apple added with this release of iBooks is the ability to read PDFs. You can add PDFs a couple of ways. First, you can add a PDF in email to iBooks directly from the mail app. Second you can add PDFs to the Books section in iTunes and sync them over. Once a PDF is added, you see a PDF button next to Book on the top of the Library. Tap the PDF button to look at your PDFs and they are beautifully rendered. Scroll your finger along the bottom to view the different pages or Tap the Table of Contents button to get a zoomed out view of all PDF pages. Search, bookmarks, etc., work with PDFs as well.

They only real chink I can find in iBooks armor is there is no option for landscape in iBooks or PDF view. This is disappointing since on the iPad app, you get a two page view. I understand this may not be possible with the screen real estate, but just like the web, sometimes landscape is preferred. Many apologies. I was impatient waiting for my 3GS to rotate. Many thanks to the commenters on this post for pointing this out.

This is a must-buy free app for Apple. You have access to more than romance novels. Technical references abound and can come in really handy when you need them and viewing PDFs is very convenient. If you would like to know more about iBooks for iPad, check out our earlier review.

[Free- iTunes Link]

Pros

• Beautiful layout
• Fast
• Wonderfully animated
• Great tools for navigation
• Easy to use

Cons

• No landscapeI was too impatient with my device for it to rotate
• Can't export notes
• Can't copy text

At over 5ooMB, Wired's iPad app arrives in the App Store and yes, the future of magazine reading appears to arrive with it!

Last November we gave a sneek-peek at Wired's concept for a magazine on a tablet. That demo was in Adobe's Flash. The new version is 100% Flash free and is beautiful.

Navigating the magazine is a breeze; tap on the screen and you are given overlayed navigation tools. The bottom scrolls through pages and the top has two options- zoom out and a vertical list of articles in the issue.

There is plenty of interactive content too. Videos from the upcoming Toy Story movie and 3D real-time models of Mars and a Lego Lamborghini. With this awesome content and interactivity comes a price; $4.99 an issue. Is it worth it? Let us know in comments! Check screenshots after the break!

[$4.99- iTunes Link]

Survival horror thriller Zombie Infection for iPhone has to be Gameloft's highest production game to date. The graphics and voice acting are top notch and the cinematic style is engrossing.

Zombie Invasion starts off with you landing in a small town, that -- wait for it -- has been overrun by zombies! The first level is basically a tutorial showing you the moves for your character. You can shoot and stomp on crates to find goodies such as ammunition and medical supplies. You can move while aiming (albeit very slowly) and you can dismember the zombies by shooting their legs, arms and heads; what more can you ask for?

As you progress through the 12 levels in the game you unlock them to replay at any time. This is great since Zombie Infection has a trophy achievement system. You can go back though levels and practice/earn achievements. There are some fun ones too, for example if you shoot off both legs of a zombie, you get an achievement for that. It is this type of mechanic that makes me come back for more.

To add a little variety to the game, you can also play as one of two characters; Ex-soldier Damien Sharpe and reporter Alex Rayne. The names are cheesy, yes, but the gameplay and fun factor is not. I love this game and I am thankful that Gameloft is bringing these types of games to iPhone; it makes one really compelling alternative to other platforms for mobile gaming. Check the video and pictures after the break!

Pros

• Great graphics
• Good voice acting
• Solid controls
• Two different characters to play
• Compelling story
• Level select after you complete a level
• Trophies
• Online leaderboards
• 12 Levels
• Unlockable Survival mode

Cons

• No quick turn
• I can't think of anything else... this game is HOT!!!

Update: This app seems to break core functionality, read my article here on uninstalling Wi-Fi Sync. Until the developer decides these issues need to be addressed, I can't recommend anyone pay for this application, or until another workaround is found. The developer has been completely unresponsive when I've tried to contact him about the issue and at this time, I have no current easy solution to resolving broken backups and upgrades.

Wi-Fi Sync for iPhone is a jailbreak app that allows you to wirelessly sync with iTunes as opposed to having to plug in your phone.  It found it's way into Cydia after it was rejected by Apple.

As of now, Wi-Fi Sync is only Mac compatible.  The developer is currently working on a PC version which he states on his website should be complete in about 8-10 weeks.  If you have a Mac and want to try it out, simply click here to get the Mac desktop software, then go in Cydia and purchase Wi-Fi Sync [$9.99 - Cydia Link].

After you've installed Wi-Fi Sync on your Mac and your iPhone, you should now be able to pair them.  The first time you do this, you'll need to be by your Mac as it'll ask you to accept the connection.  You'll see this new icon in your Mac task bar (far left).

From that menu you have a few settings.  One being to disable backups.  I did this, as backups typically take a while and obviously, over wifi, your syncs will not be as quick as they are via traditional USB connection.  It'll definitely make your battery take a hit with backups enabled as the time it takes to sync drastically increases.  To disable backups, just click that little icon and click to disable backups.

Now I don't know if it was just me or if it's a bug but my Mac kept asking me to accept the connection everytime, or wouldn't find it sporadically.  There was also a couple times it would boot me off and my iPhone would tell me I had no wi-fi connection.  As this app is in it's newborn stages, we will see how it progresses in terms of stability and feature set.  As far as I see, you'll also need to tell your phone to sync automatically if you plan on using this app while not directly in front of your computer.  If that setting isn't there, you'll physically have to be in front of your computer to hit sync, which to me is somewhat counter-productive.

In my opinion, it's a nice tool but I don't know if it's worth $10 at this point.  I personally encountered a few more bugs than I would have expected for an app with this type of price tag.  We'll see what the developer does to refine it in the coming months.

Pros

• Ease of use
• Convenient
• Uses same familiar syncing process users are already accustomed to

Cons

• Drains battery pretty quick
• Must have automatic sync enabled for this to be useful
• Price tag is somewhat high
• Mac Only (for now)
• Breaks backups within iTunes
• Breaks the upgrade/restore process within iTunes

Today Comcast demoed Xfinity Remote, a prototype of a web-based remote control that aims to extend their interactive programming guide to many IP-enabled devices such as an iPad. Unlike their current sub par iPhone application [iTunes Link - Free] this application allows Comcast subscribers to have full control over cable boxes.

"The Xfinity Remote, which Brian Roberts demoed today on an iPad at the NCTA show, enables you to search for your favorite shows and movies on television and video on demand, change the channel on your cable box right from your iPad, and set your DVR remotely."

Comcast also mentions the app will allow for integration into social networks and allow for chatting live while watching a show or send invites to friends to watch programming at the same time.

The Xfinity Remote should be free when in lands into the App Store and while no release date has been given, Comcast promises we will see it before the end of the year.

Video after the break!

[MacDailyNews via Comcast]

It seems Microsoft is almost ready to release their popular IM client, Windows Live Messenger for the iPhone and iPod touch. The app is said to arrive this June and will contain photo sharing, chat, and a social stream - which looks to include a Facebook stream and possibly a Twitter stream as well.

Their second major app following Bing, if the software giant is finally warming up the the iPhone platform perhaps Microsoft will get the ball rolling on Office in the not so distant future.

Screen shots after the break!

[Neowin]

This may not be much of a surprise but according to a former Sling Media employee over at Zatsnotfunny.com, the company will be working on a iPad specific version of the ever popular SlingPlayer - "some day". Unfortunately that day will not be April 3rd.

"When it makes a noticeable difference in quality, we will definitely provide higher resolution streaming. The iPad is a good example of a device where we are hard at work on this, but unfortunately it won’t be there at the April launch."

With the absence of the likes of Hulu and Netflix streaming on our iPads we can only hope SlingPlayer gets here sooner rather than later.

[Via 9to5Mac via Zatsnotfunny]

Line2 is new VoIP app for the iPhone and iPod touch that allows you to make calls on your iPhone over your 3G data connection while avoiding using up your ever important voice minutes. The app itself will cost you $1 but unlike Google Voice or Skype there is a $15 per month fee (after the initial free 30 day trial) but most of you will find that you do get your money's worth with all of the following features.

• A dedicated number that finds you on any phone. Get a local number, an 800 number, or transfer an existing number.
• Powerful office phone features including call waiting, call transfer, caller ID, call forwarding, and more.
• A second number for your cell phone that allows you to place and receive calls on your cell phone from your Toktumi number. Now you can keep your personal cell number private without having to carry two cell phones.
• Auto Attendant ("Press 1 for…") that's like a 24/7 receptionist - managing and routing incoming calls to the right person or department automatically. -Instant conference calls for up to 20 people -- you can even record your conference calls for future reference (windows only).
• Voicemail by e-mail that simplifies your communications and helps you easily manage your important messages.
• Virtual Assistant that screens and announces calls and provides different greetings for business and personal callers.
• PC-based calling for conducting calls and conferences from your PC anywhere worldwide. You can even dial numbers by name or keyword (windows only).
• Unlimited calling and conferencing to the U.S., Canada and Puerto Rico, as well as to other Toktumi users worldwide.
• Simultaneous call forwarding to up to six numbers
• Ultra-low rates for international calls, e.g. $.02 per minute for calls to China, Italy, and the U.K. See rates here.

All of the above are great features but not everything is a bed of roses. Two major drawbacks are as follows - until Apple allows for multitasking you must have the app running in order to receive incoming calls and currently you can not receive or send text messages (the latter should be fixed in a future update).

Now before you head into the App Store looking to download Line2 you should be aware it has been pulled by the developer, Toktumi. The blame goes to a DNS attack and not Apple like you may have thought so it will be back once the attack is cleared up.

Once it is up and running and if you decide to give it a try, let us know how it works for you in the comments below!

[Via New York Times, thanks to everyone who sent this in!]

Doom co-creator John Carmack recently told Kotaku that we can expect to see id Software's latest epic work in progress, Rage, land on the iPhone and iPad.

”Apple doesn’t give us anything ahead of time either, so haven’t put hands on it ourselves, but we certainly are expecting to try to have our Rage title for the iPhone, iPad, whatever, working across there.”

Rage is a soon to be released first person shooter/racer that is set in a post apocalyptic world. Unfortunately there is no official word on a release date but hopefully that will change during the upcoming E3 game show.

It's great to see a gaming icon such as Carmack continue to praise and support Apple's iPhone platform, not to mention personally coding existing games such as the Doom and Wolfenstein already in Apple's App Store.

[Via Cult of Mac]

The first unofficial Google Buzz application, Buzzie, [$1.99 on sale - iTunes Link] has made it's way into the Apple App Store.

Up until this point all Google Buzz users have had to rely on Google's web interface, even on Google's own Android OS, so Buzzie is a welcomed addition within the App Store. Whether or not Google decides to step up and release their own native application remains to be seen. The way things have been going between Google and Apple lately, who knows if they'd even be interested in attempting to get a official Buzz application into the App Store... or if it would be approved?

So if you use Buzz and give Buzzie a try, let us know how it works for you!

[Via Gizmodo]

The popular PopCap Mac tower defense title, Plants vs. Zombies, [iTunes Link - $2.99] has finally arrived on the iPhone and iPod touch!

The premise is simple, defend your home from invading zombies with an arsenal of 49 zombie destroying plants. The plants (a.k.a. weapons) available to you include peashooters, wall-nuts, cherry bombs and more to dismember the 26 different types of zombies. Along with all of this zombie action you get five game modes:

• Adventure: 50 levels — Play through day, night and fog, in a swimming pool and on the rooftop.
• Mini-Games
• Puzzle
• Survival
• Stress Free Zen Garden

Plants vs. Zombies is a highly addictive must buy for any tower defense fans. Buy it now!

Video after the break!

For those of you holding your breath for Skype to work over AT&T's 3G network, you will soon be able to relax as Skype has told TiPb it's only a matter of time. From their blog:

You may have seen other apps offering calls over 3G, but we’re holding ours back for a little bit longer. Why? So that we can give you the very best audio quality we can. When our 3G-capable Skype for iPhone app is released, it’ll let you make calls in wideband audio, giving you greater clarity and fidelity – because that’s what you expect from Skype.

We've been waiting since way back in November, when AT&T decided to allow VoIP over their 3G network, and Apple's iPhone 3.2 SDK for iPad has now removed the last hurdle.

It's no surprise we heard earlier that AT&T has been working with Apple to improve their network before the release of the highly anticipated Apple iPad. Perfect timing don't you think?

More from Skype via video, after the break!

If you own a PlayStation 3 and want a convenient way to keep track of your friends and trophies on your iPhone or iPod touch, look no further than PS3 iTrophies v2.4 [ $1.99 - iTunes Link]. PS3 iTrophies is a feature-filled application and hands-down the best companion piece for your PSN online account.

• View your PSN profile
• View your trophy data in real time with no need to sync manually.
• Compare trophy stats with any of your friends.
• View your friends list, see who's online and what they are currently playing.
• Friends trophy leaderboard to see how you stack up with your complete list of friends.
• Provides YouTube videos to show you exactly how to get those trophies you've been having issues with.
• Settings menu that allow you to remember/forget sign in details, clear image cache, change your default log in screen, etc...

We've been using iTrophies for the past week and can honestly say no other PlayStation application in the App Store comes close. For more information about iTrophies and future updates please check out the iTrophies website.

Video after the break!

After a bit of a delay, GTA has finally made it's way into the App Store with it's guns blazing. Back in September we told you Grand Theft Auto: Chinatown Wars [iTunes Link - $9.99] was coming to the iPhone and now it is finally here. While we have not had a chance to give it a try just yet, Touch Arcade has taken a spin in Liberty City and they have come away quite impressed.

• PSP and Nintendo DS graphics quality
• Gameplay and storyline are classic GTA, profanity included.
• Minigames
• Hours of gameplay
• Gives you the full GTA experience

General consensus is that this game is a must have for any GTA fan. Check out the video after the break!

[Via Touch Arcade]

Facebook 3.1 brought the much-in-demand push notification service to the iPhone's most popular social networking app, but no good deed goes unpunished, and along with broken push, it also brought a host of problems. Now, not everyone is having the same problem, but a lot of you have told us about one or more of the following:

• No push notifications: Seriously. Facebook updates their application to included push notifications and it doesn't work most of the time.
• No alert sound to push notifications: Is sound turned on? Yes. So where is it?
• Commenting on photos: If you go to post a comment on a picture one of your friend's posts you are greeted with a nice little "error" on a blank screen.
• Force closes: Now perhaps this is just a issue I am having but it seems as if the application loves to close on it's own since the last update. Usually this is a sign of poor memory management.

We realize Joe Hewitt leaving left you in the lurch, but come on Facebook, you have Microsoft money and one of the most consistently popular apps in the app store! A 1.0 app from a startup we understand, but 3.1 from the social networking giant? It's never a wise idea to use the general public as your beta testers. If the application is not ready for prime time, don't release a sub-par application. Wait. You'll have more time and we'll get a better app. Now that you've released it, however, we're all stuck, and you need to get it fixed and yesterday.

Did we miss any other major issues going on within this application? Feel free to vent in the comments below!

Now please excuse me while I go dust off Boxcar and put it back into action...

For the past week or so I've been playing this new game from OstinGames, Zepi [iTunes Link - $.99] and it turns out it does belong in the "New and Noteworthy" section of the App Store. It's quite an addicting little game that's premise is simple, build the longest chain of bubbles of single color as fast as possible by tapping them. The longer chain of bubbles you have, the more points you receive.

• Bright, colorful skins (3 skins currently available)
• Global score ranking system (as well as local)
• Support of accelerometer: you can hold the device in a way which is comfortable for you
• Easy gameplay: even for kids

For $.99 this is definitely a game to check out and be sure to keep an eye out for an update that contains new new skins and sounds as it should be released soon.

MMA Underground [$1.99 - iTunes Link] brings your daily fix of MMA (Mixed Martial Arts) and UFC (Ultimate Fighting Championship) news to the iPhone and iPod touch. If you are fan like Rene and myself, there's finally a worthwhile application that has elbowed it's way into the App Store, and it sports some great features.

• Breaking MMA and UFC news
• Fighters record search - Name a fighter and he/she is here. Over 250,000 fighters in total with a full fight history and detailed information.
• Upcoming event information such as fight cards, results, etc...
• Access to the Underground Forum.

If the information you are seeking is on the MMA Underground website, you can be sure to find it in this top notch MMA application.

More screenshots after the break!

Wish you could be strapped in free riding down the mountain at any given moment? Now you can as Ubisoft along with Advanced Mobile Applications have released Shaun White Snowboarding: Origins [iTunes Link - $4.99] for iPhone and iPod touch.

With excellent 3D graphics and touch controls, you can choose from four different characters to snowboard with at destinations around the world including USA, Chile, Japan, and Spain. Each playable character has their own unique control, trick or speed specialties. Once you have your player selected you will be introduced to the snowboarding world with a tutorial by White and then you are on your own. 50 or so tricks can be pulled off, including ollies, flips and grabs. As you progress you can earn unlockable content, such as real-life snowboarding footage of White and friends by earning various achievements.

To add a ton of replay value you get various game modes such as one freestyle option, and three that make use of a ghost feature. Now toss in leaderboards, and Twitter and Facebook connections and you have yourself a nice little game.

See you on the mountain...

More screen shots after the break!

One of Phil Schiller's favorite iPhone apps, ESPN ScoreCenter, [iTunes Link] just got that much better with the addition of push notifications. Even better you get the ESPN SportsCenter jingle as your notification sound.

With ESPN ScoreCenter you get real-time scores, live game details, game summaries and stats for 9 major sports including the following: MLB, NFL, NBA, NHL, Soccer, NCAA Football and Basketball, NASCAR, Golf, and Tennis.

The only major sport that I wish was included is MMA (mixed martial arts) coverage. That would make this app absolutely unreal. Life goes on and at the end of the day, with push notifications, this is the best sports app to get your up to the minute sports information and best yet, it's free!

One more image after the break!

Pointy Heads Software's Knocking Live Video [Free -iTunes link] is the first official iPhone app capable of streaming live video over 3G and WiFi connections. But getting it approved for the App Store was no easy task as the app was first rejected. Then Brian Meehan, lead developer, plead his case to Mr. Steve Jobs. According to Ars Technica, Meehan sent a very convincing letter that caught the CEO's attention.

Meehan even "humbly" requested that Jobs himself review a demo of the app and reconsider it for approval. He then fired off the e-mail to Jobs at 11pm on Saturday, November 21. An Apple executive, who wishes to remain anonymous, contacted Meehan at 8:30am the following Monday morning to discuss the app and its rejection. He revealed that the order to reverse the app's rejection came "directly from the top." Within three hours of the phone call, Knocking Live Video was approved for sale via the App Store.

Many other developers have had difficulties with the inconsistencies involved with the App Store review process, seeing their apps rejected. Perhaps now we will start to see Apple loosen their grip a bit more when it comes to App Store approvals. At least all the developers hope this turns out to be the case...

[Via Ars Technica]

TomTom has released a rather significant update to their $99 iPhone Turn-by-Turn GPS application [iTunes Link]. It seems as if they had second thoughts about omitting first generation iPhone 2G (and iPod touches) support in the TomTom car kit. It was only last month that TomTom officially stated the kit would not enable GPS with the original iPhone or iPod touch. My how quickly things change, perhaps the release of the free Google Navigation application had something to do with it...

If anyone still rocking the first generation iPhone or a new iPod touch and try TomTom out, let us know how it goes!

[Via AppAdvice, thanks Tyler]

UPDATE: And... it's back with version 1.1.1 [Free - iTunes link]

ORIGINAL: Most of our readers love their Twitter, and to some of you who happened to be searching for the TweetDeck app within the App Store, you may have been a bit surprised and disappointed to see that it seemed to simply disappear without a trace.

So what exactly happened to TweetDeck? This past Friday TweetDeck version 1.1 was released and it seems as if some of the kinks were never worked out of it before it was submitted to Apple. Namely constant crashing - Oops... So the decision was then made to pull the app before the problem became widespread.

We are happy to spread the word that the app has since been fixed and resubmitted to Apple with version 1.1.1.

[Via TechCrunch]

Early this morning developer of the iPhone Facebook application, Joe Hewitt, posted that Facebook 3.03 is on it's way to squash a few bugs. Even bigger news is that update will then be followed by Facebook 3.1 which will include push notifications.

Facebook happens to be one of the most used iPhone applications today while push notifications is the most sought after missing feature from the application. Techcrunch brings up a few valid points regarding how these notifications are currently handled and the potential issues that can arise from an application that will pop up more than a few notifications on your screen. The major issue being if you receive more than one notification you are completely lost as to what the previous notification(s) were for.

Personally I tend to turn off the alerts in certain applications that push a lot of notifications to my iPhone. Applications such as Beejive and Twitbit are just a few that I simply leave the "badge" option on so I can just see how many messages I have. That still does not change the fact that I want a better push notification system...

What are your thoughts on the current push notification system and how would you like to see it improved? Sound off in comments below!

For those of you who are a bit disappointed with your current iPhone Twitter client because of the lack of a little something called "push notifications" - You must check out Twitbit 2.0. [$2.99 Sale Price - iTunes Link] We've had the pleasure of testing the 2.0 build for quite some time now and we are happy to report this update has been finely tuned while adding a boatload of new features, so many that you'll have to wait for our full review.

• A completely new look
• Push notifications for direct messages and mentions
• Rich media integration to share all of your media which now includes Flickr
• Significant performance boost
• Configuration: Set up Twitbit 2.0 exactly the way you want it
• Free updates!

Still not convinced enough to make the purchase? Try out Twitbit 2.0 Lite. [Free - iTunes Link] You'll get all of the same great features, new and old, minus push notifications and Flickr support.

Stay tuned as we will bring you a detailed review shortly!

Metallica has just released Live Metallica [$0.99 - iTunes Link], their very own companion application to go along with their LiveMetallica.com website. With it fans can purchase official recordings of each and every single live show since 2004 and listen to the latest concert streaming for free.

Purchase the app, log into your existing LiveMetallica.com account or register as a new user, and voila . . . every show you've purchased is there under the "listen" tab, along with a free stream of the latest show on the tour! You can listen to samples of over 5,300 live songs from close to 300 shows, and if you hear something you like, purchase it through the app and it will automatically stream on your phone . . . of course you can download your purchase to your computer later at your leisure. Shows from the free "Vault" section of the site are always streaming, and you can check out photos and notes from almost every show going back to 2004 when the site launched.

Metallica claims to have gotten this idea back in the day when they saw fans bootlegging their shows and figured they would make it more convenient by doing the recording themselves and cashing in. So you have to pay $0.99 to gain access to yet more content you again will have to pay for to access, minus a few free streams and jpegs of the band.

Any hardcore Metallica fans out there going to give this a shot? Let us know in the comments!

[Thanks to Phil for the tip!]

So you'd like to have the convienence of depositing your hard earned work check straight from your iPhone into your bank, no matter where you are? Well, there will soon be an app for that - USAA - a very small bank/insurance company is in the process of updating their current app.

USAA only contains one branch in San Antonio Texas and mainly serves military personnel. So with most of the bank's customers deployed all over the world, this is an excellent idea. To make the deposit, simply take a photo. Take one of the front of the check and one of the back, and hit the send button. That's all there is to it. There is not even a need to physically send in the check -- just void it and go on your merry way as it is all completely handled electronically.

Now we don't know about you but if our banks had an app like this, we'd be all over it. Any of our readers bank with USAA and are willing to give this a try once the update is released?

[Via NYTimes]

Twitbit [$4.99 - iTunes link] is a Twitter client for iPhone and iPod touch that includes built-in push notification for not only @mentions but direct messages as well.

It was not long ago that Rene introduced us all to the app, and we wouldn't be telling the truth if we didn't say things started off pretty rough with the initial launch. TiPb is happy to report, however, with the latest upcoming update, 1.1, things have changed greatly.

• More granular push configuration
• Selectively push DMs, mentions, neither, or both.
• Better push support while the app is running (new message badges, vibrations, etc.)
• New direct message workflow
• Summary/inbox view that's modeled after the built-in "Messages" app, organized by user
• Threaded conversations
• Landscape tweet and direct message composition
• Built-in photo browser with landscape support
• Landscape mode in the built-in web browser
• Saved searches
• Person search
• Saved timeline position
• More tweet actions (open in browser, send in email)
• More browser actions (send in email, post link in tweet)
• Customizable tab order
• Customizable re-tweet format
• Fix for the "HTTP 401" error when posting tweets and direct messages.
• Lots of other UI enhancements and bug fixes

TiPb has been putting this latest beta through it's paces the past two weeks and so far so we've been impressed. Look for Twitbit 1.1 to hit Apple's App Store any day now.

Pictures of Twitbit 1.1 in action after the break!

It was only a matter of time before some developer, in this case IntuApps, created an application revolving around the Swine Flu and why not, it's actually pretty informative and it will be free. According to Techcrunch you can expect the following features:

"you can see the current Threat Level for the disease, a map showing confirmed and suspected cases, a symptoms area to inform people, and an alert page for breaking news on Swine Flu."

This one can be very useful for a lot of people but now the big question is when will this application be approved?

Another screenshot after the break...

[Via Techcrunch]

If you are a Twitter addict and are following Trent Reznor (Yes, it really is the one and only TR), you would be well aware that the official Nine Inch Nails application is making it's way onto the App Store any time now, for FREE.

You may be thinking "many bands have apps in the App Store", which may be true. But to be honest, they are pretty poor attempts. If anyone can get a iPhone application done the right way, it would be Reznor.

"Anyone who's an executive at a record label does not understand what the internet is, how it works, how people use it, how fans and consumers interact — no idea, I'm surprised they know how to use e-mail. They have built a business around selling plastic discs, and nobody wants plastic discs any more."

For a full run down on the app from the man himself be sure to check out the video on wired.com. This is an app that any NIN fan will not want to miss.

If you're Bono, however, you're well warned to avoid this one, especially after yesterday's RIM shot...

[Via Wired.com and thanks to Phil for the title!]

You really have to love Matt Stone and Trey Parker, the creators of South Park:

"We're always in favor of people downloading. It's how a lot of people see the show. And it's never hurt us. We've done nothing but be successful with the show. How could you ever get mad about somebody who wants to see your stuff?"

Well Apple drops the ball yet again with the official South Park app in the App store... and yet again a 3rd party picks up the slack. South Park Mobile is available via Cydia and if you are not jailbroken, check out www.southparkmobile.net on your iPhone. What this app allows you to do is stream full episodes of South Park for your viewing pleasure right on your iPhone. Every single episode, from every single season is available for you to stream. Keep in mind this is not something official from Mr. Stone and Mr. Parker but it's the best we currently have available to us.

*You must be on firmware 2.2+ in order for this Jailbreak App to work.

[Thanks to Jaun for the tip!]

Today is a depressing day for all of the South Park fans out there. The South Park app that Dieter told us about back in October has been rejected once again by Apple.

We first announced our iPhone App back in October, after we submitted the Application to Apple for approval. After a couple of attempts to get the application approved, we are sad to say that our app has been rejected. According to Apple, the content was "potentially offensive." But Apple did admit that the standards would evolve, citing that when iTunes first launched it didn't sell any music with explicit lyrics. At this point, we are sad to say, the app is dead in the water. Sorry, South Park fans.

Who is Apple to say what is offensive and what isn't? They let fart apps in the App Store in groves. Who is to say those do not offend anyone? How about Wobble? An app that gives you the ability to make certain female body parts jiggle around your screen. That doesn't offend anyone? That is a choice the consumer should be making, not Apple. Ok, I've made my point.

There is one simple solution to something that may offend someone. If you are offended, don't buy it!

[Via Southparkstudios.com]

This past week has not been a good one for Sirius XM Satellite Radio. Reports of the company preparing for a bankruptcy filing have been all over the news. On the bright side of things, uSirius StarPlayr, which allows you to listen to all of your favorite satellite stations streamed directly onto your iPhone, is on the horizon.

It seems the only delay at the moment is the final approval from Apple. Looks like it may be 2-4 more weeks before we see this in the App Store. Some of the features of StarPlayr are:

• Works with iPhone, iPhone 3G, and iPod Touch
• Edge, 3G, WiFi
• Sirius or XM accounts
• US and Cananda
• Suggested Retail Price $12.99

So with a price tag of $12.99 how many of you are willing to pick this up to carry your favorite channels with you on the go?

Update: Yes, you indeed do need a monthly subscription to Sirius Xm.

If you happened to miss our first Apps for Less, be sure to check it out for some great App Store deals! We here at TiPb are all about saving you money, so without further ado...

Arguably the top racing game available on the App Store, Raging Thunder, is now on sale for $3.99. That's 50% off folks... not a deal to pass up if you enjoy your racers!

Ok, next up we have some good news for those of you who still have not bought a great little game called Spore! Spore has just dropped a few bucks to $7.99. Two bucks off is better than nothing right? Definitely check this one out people. You won't regret it, and if you still need some more information on it be sure to check out Dieter's full Spore for the iPhone review.

I'm one of the biggest South Park fans you will find, so anything related to South Park I love. Well South Park's ImaginationLand is now on sale for $2.99! For all you fans out there, do not let this one pass you by! Also be sure to check out what else is coming to the App Store soon from South Park.

Seems to have been a slow week for price drops but the ones that did drop are quality apps. Be sure to pick them up for those sale prices! If we missed anything worth mentioning, please let us know in the comments!

Yet another iPhone related lawsuit only this time it does not involve Apple... shocking isn't it?

Coors beer company is being sued by Hottrix, creators of the strangely popular iBeer app for a cool 12.5 million for copyright infringement. The lawsuit alleges that Coors copied its iPhone application iBeer. Both Hottrix's App and Coors' iPint simply create the illusion of beer being poured out when a user tilts the handset as if the user is drinking it. The only major difference between the two apps is that iBeer costs $3 and iPint was free - it has been pulled from the App Store by Apple.

More or less, the lawsuit claims that iBeer was a success until iPint quickly stole it's thunder by being offered for free. Stop and think about this, both Apps were released on July 11th so how is one to determine who really came up with the idea? Hottrix answer, this youtube video that was released back in August of 2007.

Why someone would spend 3 bucks on such a App, I have no clue. But Coors... come on, talk about a blatant rip off. Hottrix, 12.5 million? Seriously?

(Via Gizmodo)

[You're tempted. We know you are. We are too. Even with the App Store, Jailbreaking is the ultimate in iPhone forbidden fruit. So what will it take to push us over the edge? How about the top 5 killer Apps. Stuff Apple will never allow in the official store? Jeremy rounds them up for us below, and if you do decide to take the plunge, he has you covered with full tutorials on how to Jailbreak the iPhone 3G with Quickpwn for Windows PCs, Mac OS X, how to Jailbreak and Unlock the original iPhone 2G.]

Our forums have been buzzing lately with members asking "why should I jailbrake?" Well today TiPb brings you some of the very best reasons: the top 5 must have Jailbreak Apps!

What are they and what do they do? Read on after the jump!

1. Winterboard

For those of you who really want to trick out your iPhone's user interface, look no further than Winterboard. Using the Winterboard you can apply whole skins to your device or just specific parts of it. The things you can customize include App icons, wallpaper, and even the statusbar, dock, etc. You can spend an entire day tweaking your UI to your liking. For the best guide I've seen for Winterboard, check out this link here.

2. BossPrefs

While you can remove Apps, WebClips, etc, from your device by just tapping and holding, then simply tapping the "X" icon, the built-in Apple icons are not removeable on your iPhone. This is where BossPrefs comes into play. Install it to get extra options for configuring your device, including "Poof!" a section where you can disable icons, even if they are fixed ones like iTunes or Weather.

3. Intelliscreen

This next little gem of an App was reviewed back in May by Casey. Have you ever needed to check your Mail but didn't have time to thumb through your iPhone to check it out? Intelliscreen by Intelliborn allows for easy access to information on your iPhone lock screen, such as Mail and SMS messages, iCal dates, news stories, sports scores, and more. If you are a fan of widgets on your PC or Mac, or the Today Screen on Windows Mobile devices, you'll love Intelliscreen.

4. Backgrounder

This App is one that I told you about this past week. It's called Backgrounder, and it simply allows you to run official App Store apps in the background. Imagine that, the ability to multitask right on your iPhone! Try this app out, you will not regret it! Here's how you use it:

You just press and hold the home key while running any application. After a few seconds, the Backgrounding Enabled pop-up appears. Release the home button and go about your business. Backgrounder automatically returns you to SpringBoard. To quit the background application, re-launch it from SpringBoard, then press and hold Home until the Backgrounding Disabled pop-up appears.

5. Categories

Categories allows you to create folders on your desktop. This gives you the ability to organize your home screens in ways far beyond anything Apple currently provides. When you add an App to a category, it is taken from the Springboard list so that it no longer shows up on the home screen. When you remove the app from the category it is returned back to the Springboard. In other words, instead of scrolling from screen to screen, you can have one screen containing all of your App folders for instant access to what you want. Pretty sweet deal if you ask me. Below is a picture of what a games folder would look like when opened from the springboard.

*Since Categories edits system files, be sure to check out the Help section before using this App to avoid any complications. It gives you step by step directions.

Conclusion

So there you have it, you wanted to know the top 5 Apps out there and TiPb comes through and gives you the answer! This list of must-have jailbroken apps should keep you busy for quite some time along with giving your iPhone a fresh new look! For more information about jailbreaking please visit our jailbreaking apps forum, our members are always willing to help you out!

A digital remake of a director's slate with clear audio and video sync cue, Slate features a large display of production, director, scene, take and current time. With easy to increment scene and take number, Slate comes with two colors; white and black, and two sync cues; beep and clap.

Friend Book envelopes and extends the iPhone's built-in Contacts app. Divided into three parts, a photo contact viewer and manager, a wireless contact exchanger, and photo dialer, it gives contacts some fabulous new abilities, though sometimes at the expense of quirky new constraints.

Note: I grabbed Friend Book pretty much the instant it was released on the App Store. Since then, it's been taken down to address an issue with contact permissions but should return shortly. If any functionality changes in the re-release, I'll update here.

Read on for the walkthrough, after the break!

Contacts: Photos and Management

Friend Book's icon is a variation on Apple's standalone Contacts App icon. Tap on it, and you'll see the same holds true for Friend Book itself. First up is a very familiar alphabetical contact list view with one slight -- and major -- difference: photos. Along the right hand side of each contact is the associated photo (or logo if you've set those up for businesses).

Working on the theory that our brain's pattern recognition is faster than text decryption, this makes it very easy to pick people out at a glance.

Tap the folder icon (bottom middle) and suddenly you can delete contacts, move them between contact groups, copy them to multiple contact groups, or merge two contacts together. Since Apple hasn't provided this type of functionality, it's very welcome in Friend Book.

Wireless Contact Exchange

Tap the hand icon on the bottom right, and a new panel slides up giving very explicit directions on how to exchange your contact information with another iPhone owner's.

And innovative and fun interface leveraging the iPhone's capabilities, the inability to exchange more than just a "Me Card" is a downer, especially for those used to the extensive infrared-based contact beaming Treo owners have always enjoyed.

Visual Photo Dialing

Ever since Bill Gates showed this concept off at CES on the Palm 700w, I've been a fan. I really liked Gx5's DialByPhoto for the Palm OS, especially their 3x3 grid view. Fortunately for me, then, that the 3x3 grid is just how Friend Book does it as well.

Tap the contact icon at the bottom left, and a panel slides in with nine little polaroid-style frames. Tap the edit button top right to begin filling them. Select a frame and you can browse your contacts. Pick a number, and that contacts picture and the type of number (home, work, mobile) take their place on your grid.

It's an elegant system -- or it would be if not for the baffling fact that your ability to browse your contacts is limited to your last list view in the main part of the app. If you were in one group, family for example, there doesn't seem to be a way to get back to all contacts within the selection process here. You have to back out of edit mode, back out of the the photo dialer, go back to the main contacts section, get back to all contacts, then begin the process again. That's a lot of back peddling. If the editor contained the standard "Groups/Back" button in addition to a "Cancel" button, it would fix this. Hopefully that's just an update away.

Another strange one: The search box is always present in the contact list browser, but sometimes is not enabled. There's no visual clue for a user, however, when its enabled or not, making for a confusing experience. I'm not sure if this is a limitation to the controls surfaced in the SDK, but it will need to be addressed by either Apple or the developers.

Conclusion

Friend Book comes to us from the folks at Tapulous, who are currently enjoying huge success with the Tap Tap Revenge, and some ups and downs with Twinkle. Friendbook seems more like the latter than the former for now: awesome app with great potential, and just a few bugs/quirks holding it back.

(Ratings reserved until Friend Book is re-released in the App Store).

Ready for developers to take advantage of the new features in the iPhone 3G, namely GPS? Well don't worry, TomTom, makers of popular GPS units and GPS software, has already developed navigation software for the iPhone 3G. A TomTom spokesperson was quoted as saying,

"Navigation System runs on the iPhone already"

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