Birdfeed [$2.99 - iTunes link], one of the best looking, slickest working iPhone Twitter clients we’ve looked at, has just been updated to version 1.2 and is jam-packed with new, well-handled features:
Geographic locations can now be attached to posted tweets using Twitter’s new Geo API, and a tweet’s location, if present, will now be displayed as a place name (e.g. “Metropolitan Avenue, Brooklyn, New York”) in the tweet detail view. Tweet locations can also be examined in a new map view.
Flickr accounts can now be used as photo sharing services for
New photo posting sheet allows larger versions of photos to be examined before they are posted, and for metadata (such as title, description, and tags) to be entered.
Settings for location posting, photo sharing, and URL shortening are now located inside the app, and can be specified on a per-account basis. Additionally, the local tweet cache can be cleared for each account from its settings screen.
The Direct Messages Inbox now has a toolbar with refresh and mark all read buttons.
Mentions can now be marked as read simply by tapping into their detail view from the main timeline.
Favstar.fm and Tweeteorites have been added to the profile services menu.
How’s 1.2 holding up so far? Birdfeed implements the Geo API flawlessly, though it takes a while for the location to manifest (I got near Quebec the first time I tapped it, then a nearby cross-street when I tapped it again — which is kind of creepy in a cyber-stalked sort of way).
If you’ve given it a try, let us know what you think.
Mplayit [Facebook link] is a new online service that aims to let your Facebook friends share iPhone app recommendations with you — and then take it one step further and actually let you see videos, demos, and other information before you decide to buy it via the iTunes App Store.
Now anything with iPhone and Facebook in the title is no doubt attention-grabbing, but as the App Store zooms past 100,000, discoverability is going to need fixing, if not from Apple than from a ton of independent thinkers just so something (anything) can shake out. Is Mplayit it?
Mplayit introduces “playable discovery” for the iPhone today in its new Facebook app store and said it would add Android and Blackberry in the coming months. Rather than hunting and pecking for reviews and top lists, the Facebook page shows real “apptivity” that is going on in app stores so users can see which apps are receiving the most downloads, reviews, plays. In coming weeks, mobile users will also be able to see the “apptivity” within their social network so they can clearly see which apps their friends and family are most interested in.
Our guess is it will depend on how many popular apps they can really show off in a way that’s compelling for users. If you check it out, let us know what you think.
(And really, anything that keeps Facebookers busy, and not hitting “invite all” to spam online friends with random events on other continents — is huge.)
After a long time in limbo, fan favorite desktop Instant Messenger (IM) client Trillian [$4.99 - iTunes link] has finally (finally!) arrived for iPhone and iPod touch.
Features include AIM, ICQ, Windows Live Messenger, Yahoo! Messenger and Google Talk, tabbed chat windows, clean contact lists, killer connection management, instant cross-device sync (via Astra server), simultaneous sign-in, and “intelligent” push notification.
Confession: I’ve been podcasting, now I’m editing, so I haven’t had a chance to try it out yet, but if you’re giving it a go, please let us know your favorite features, pros and cons, and just in general — what you think!
Facebook for iPhone and iPod touch [Free - iTunes link], by updating to version 3.03 for “minor bug fixes and Japanese localization”, but underneath that listing all the major changes from the original 3.0 release, has resulted in flood of tips to TiPb actual. Shows us a few things:
Wow but do people love that Facebook for iPhone app
Devs need to be careful how they list their changeroll
Users need to be careful how they read the changeroll
Still, if you’ve been experiencing bugs, or really wanted to get your Japanese on, this updated is for you!
We’re huge security proponents here at TiPb, and that typically means recommending 1Password on the Mac and RoboForm on the PC. 1Password’s iPhone app has been available for long time already, providing on-device and Mac-synced bliss. Now, finally, RoboForm for iPhone [FREE - iTunes link] is here as well.
It’s a first release, and it’s not quite feature complete yet (on-device editing is a priority and coming soon), it requires an online account for syncing (a local Wi-Fi option to sync with the PC client would be nice as well), and there are some bugs (no 4 character master passwords — though you really should be using much, much longer master passwords!) security is so important we wanted to let you know about it right away, or if you already know about it, we wanted you to let us know how it was working for you.
Sky Mobile TV News and Sports [Free + £6 a month subscription - iTunes link] for iPhone and iPod touch is now available in the UK App Store, and is Wi-Fi only at the moment (so AT&T isn’t the only one unhappy with TV over 3G, eh?)
The app itself is free, though the programming will set you back £6 a month — unless you’re an O2 customer, in which case they’ll foot the bill for your first three months. Nothing like a competitive market, is there?
If you live in the UK and want all the news, football (soccer to you North Americans), golf, and cricket you can shake an iPhone at, and you check out the app, let us know what you think.
If you live in the US, how would the idea of CNN/ESPN or FoxNews/Sports apps grab you?
NAVIGON dropped us a note to say that, as promised, their latest update to MobileNavigator [$89.99 for North America - iTunes link] for iPhone is now available via the iTunes App Store, and it includes Traffic Live as an in-app purchase (currently on sale at an introductory $19.99, $24.99 thereafter). Here’s how it works:
Traffic Live utilizes crowdsourced real-time speed data from over 1.3 million drivers including other NAVIGON app users (who opt. in to participate), commercial fleets such as trucks and taxis, as well as regular drivers with a GPS system. So if for example several vehicles on a road report slow speed, the system recognizes congestion and provides an alternate and faster route.
If you add the Traffic Live service, let us know how it works for you.
Squarespace [Free - iTunes link] is a brand new app that lets you administer your Squarespace web site — at least the blogging aspects — right from your iPhone and iPod touch.
The innovative hosted content-management system has become the darling of the technorati due to its robust online management tools and ability to scale to handle huge spikes in traffic (i.e. Digg effect). The app features:
Posting and editing content
Posting pics
Multiple site support
Site stats and graphs
New site registration
Next on the list will be comment management, slated for version 1.1.
Note: While the app is free, Squarespace itself is a paid monthly service. But if you’re a user, and you try out the app, let us know how it works for you!
Electronic Arts’ Command and Conquer: Red Alert [$9.99 - iTunes link] is now ready to go to war on your iPhone or iPod touch.
You can fight as the Allies or Soviets, through 12 combat levels in skirmish mode or on two battle maps. Upcoming updates will include free multiplayer over Wi-Fi and Bluetooth, and an Empire of the Sun expansion pack.
