Apps

Facebook 3.0 for iPhone pours on the features

The third major edition of Facebook for iPhone has just crept into the iTunes App Store. It's a huge update, with numerous advanced features that make Facebook more interactive than before and which bring the app as close to the desktop experience as it's ever been.

Facebook for iPhone opens on your news feed as usual, but the upper left corner now sports a tiny grid icon that serves as the main organizing feature for this new build. Click it to see a screen equipped with a search bar on top, a notification alert area on the bottom, and a grid of nine activities you can perform in the middle. These include the news feed, your profile details, your message in-box, Facebook chat, friend requests, events, photo albums, and notes.

Those who use Facebook on the iPhone frequently will notice that quite a few of these actions are brand new, like viewing events and submitting an RSVP from your phone. You'll also be able to view friends' birthdays and upload photos to any album. Anyone sporting an iPhone 3GS gets the added bonus of uploading video.

Photos received a lot of attention in this update. You'll now be able to zoom into photos, create albums and delete them, as well as upload and delete photos and photo tags, all from the Facebook interface. In addition, you can upload a new profile picture.

Facebook has also poured energy into how it deals with friends.… Read more

Spotify gets Apple's blessing...who's next?

Spotify's much-hyped streaming-music service has been given the green light by Apple's iPhone app approval board, according to a report from U.K.'s Paid Content. Though the Spotify app has yet to officially surface in the iTunes App Store, an Apple spokesman made it clear that the app would be available "very soon."

While the news is sure to excite Spotify's current user base in Europe and the U.K., music fans in the U.S. have yet to experience what all the fuss is about, since the service is currently blocked on this side of the pond. Rumors abound that Spotify plans to open its doors to America before the year is though, but until then, the availability of an iPhone app isn't doing us much good.

Beyond fanning the flames of American curiosity over Spotify, news of the app's approval demonstrates an intriguing change of tactics for Apple.… Read more

iPhone Yelp gets happy hour deals, moving maps

The original Yelp for iPhone was a skeleton of its online self when it first debuted. Since then, Yelp has been layering on the muscle. The improvements in Yelp for iPhone 3.0 plump the app even more, bringing both important functionality from the Web version and some mobile-friendly enhancements.

Deal-seekers will notice a new category in the Nearby search screen for sales and other offers, listing happy hour deals, coupons, an even specials just for Yelpers. (Ooh, free beverages at the 4.5-star Creperie Saint Germain!) This makes a lot of sense in a mobile app, and could help … Read more

Unleash your inner 'American Idol' with iSing

Forget Randy, Simon, and whoever's filling Paula's shoes this week. If you've got mad vocal skillz, dawg, or you want to see what it's like to sit in the judge's chair, grab iSing--the "worldwide talent contest" for iPhone and iPod Touch.

When you run the app, you'll see a list of song entries from other iSing users. Tap any thumbnail to stream a clip, then vote on it by tapping the thumbs-up or thumbs-down button.

Entries with the most positive votes bubble to the top of the "charts," earning … Read more

Blog on the go with WpToGo for Android

WordPress is a free and open source content-managing system that powers many popular blogs. Though official mobile clients are available for iPhone and BlackBerry, Android has yet to receive its own version. Thankfully, Roundhill Labs has released an unofficial Android version called WpToGo.

WpToGo offers all the features needed to publish blog posts using only your Android phone. You can create and edit posts, upload photos, and publish instantly to multiple accounts. The software is available for free in the Android Market and works with official WordPress.com accounts and with self-hosted blogs.

Creating a new post is straightforward and … Read more

XM SkyDock turns your iPhone into a satellite radio control panel

Like satellite radio, but don't want to deal with the kludge-y "dock and play" satellite radios that clutter up your car's dashboard? The XM SkyDock could be for you. It looks little different than your average iPod car charger, but the SkyDock has a satellite tuner built in. Pop in any iPhone or iPod Touch, run the free SkyDock control app, and the Apple handheld is transformed into a touch-screen control for the satellite radio service.

The app automatically adjusts to landscape (shown) or portrait mode, and the audio stream can be sent either via line-out … Read more

Apple: Technical issues holding up Vonage app

This post was updated at 2:45 p.m. PDT with confirmation from Apple about the Vonage app.

Apple App Store approval of a Vonage mobile voice over IP app is being held up by technical issues with the Vonage software, Apple said Wednesday, confirming a report by Tech Trader Daily.

Vonage submitted an application for review and Apple is working with the developer to resolve the issues with the app, Apple spokesperson Natalie Kerris confirmed with CNET News. Kerris did not elaborate on what those issues were.

The revelation comes as federal regulators probe Apple's decision to keep … Read more

Google mobile maps show when to take side streets

We've established that Google knows quite a bit about you, and sometimes that's a good thing. Especially when Google plows some of that information back into new features.

Yesterday, my colleague Tom Krazit explored a new feature that's part of the traffic reporting on Google Maps, including how Google is addressing the privacy concerns of the feature since it taps users' information to provide some of its more granular traffic-reporting details. In addition to displaying traffic information for major highways, Google will display it for arterial roads, the class of thoroughfare that represents the next level down … Read more

Goosegrade now lets anyone copyedit any blog

Crowd-sourced copy-editing service Goosegrade took its tool in an interesting direction on Tuesday, allowing anyone to leave a suggested edit on blogs that do not even have the Goosegrade plug-in installed.

The new system works via bookmarklet instead, letting users leave a quick correction that's sent back to Goosegrade's site. There, the owner of the site in question can check on all the recommended edits and do them manually, or simply install Goosegrade's plug-in for blogs, which lets them approve and implement the edits one at a time right inside their blogging software.

What makes the new … Read more