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Posts in iPhone

Facebook App Update: Improved Places & Chat, Bug Fixes

Among all the app updates that are coming out this week prior to the iTunes Connect shut down planned for December 23 (when developers won’t be able to submit new apps, updates or price changes until the 28th), the official Facebook app for iPhone was updated (to version 3.3.3) last night to include a variety of bug fixes and miscellaneous improvements.

The most notable improvements come in the chat and messages windows (which, at least for me, are not slow anymore), notifications and Places. Even if there aren’t many registered places in my town, the app seems now faster at retrieving local data information and distances. Crashes, group photos and memory usage have been addressed with bug fixes.

Other minor changes include the comeback of the ability to post on a page you administrate and the removal of the text field from walls you cannot post on.

The official Facebook app was updated in early November to include the new Groups UI and the Places functionality. The app is free, and available here.

Rage HD Update: Game Center, Gyroscope, Play It On Your TV

Together with Epic’s Infinity Blade, John Carmack’s Rage HD is the app that really shows what gaming on iOS devices has become: an experience that, technically speaking, is at the same level of consoles such as the Wii or the PlayStation 2. Rage is impressive, and the latest update (1.11, approved last night) adds a lot of new features to make it even better.

First off, you can now play Rage on your TV (or an external monitor) using an iPhone or iPad as a controller. You can output the game at 480p with the official Apple Component cable (Amazon) or 720p with the official Apple VGA cable (Amazon). This is neat, and reminds me of The Incident, which added a similar TV out functionality in its last update. Rage HD on a TV must be fantastic.

The app now comes with Game Center integration, but there’s no online multiplayer option. Instead, the developers implemented leaderboards and achievements. If you feel like unlocking them all, you have 50 new achievements to add to your list.

Other features include gyroscope controls for iPhone 4 and iPod touch 4th gen, mirror mode and (finally) a Museum Mode to explore the levels without mutants.

Rage HD 1.11 is a great update. As the app description says, “the update you’ve been waiting for”. Go download it here.

First Unofficial WikiLeaks App

You can think Julian Assange should have been TIME’s person of the year or not – we’re not here to discuss Assange’s (and his team’s) actions. There’s an unofficial WikiLeaks iPhone and iPad app in the App Store, and it was released earlier today. It’s available now at $1.99.

The app sports a nice and clean interface design, and allows you to check on the latest WikiLeaks’ updates from Twitter or the organization’s website. Both the tweets and the website are formatted for the iPhone and iPad. WikiLeaks App can automatically forward to the latest mirror and access the CableGate page.

WikiLeaks App for iPhone and iPad is available here at $1.99.

SBSwitcher Brings SBSettings To The Multitasking Tray | Cydia Store

SBSwitcher is a new tweak available in the Cydia Store at $2.99 which brings the SBSettings toggles to the iOS 4 multitasking bar. SBSettings is one of the most popular applications in Cydia, which can be customized to display a series of buttons (indeed, toggles) that can perform a variety of actions otherwise buried deep down into the iPhone’s settings. I’m talking about shortcuts like “activate WiFi”, “turn on Bluetooth” or “open VPN connection”.

SBSwitcher will put these toggles in the multitasking tray, past the iPod widget controls and the volume slider introduced in iOS 4.2. The tweak supports themes for SBSettings and it’s got a bunch of options to set in the Settings app.

SBSwitcher is available at $2.99 in BigBoss’ repository.

First Free Download Shows Up in “iTunes 12 Days of Christmas” App

This morning my iPhone sent me a push notification to let me know that a new download was available in the “iTunes 12 Days of Christmas” app. I immediately realized that was strange, as we previously reported Apple’s annual promotion (for European users) should be running from December 26 until January 6. Why sending out a push notification on December 17?

The download is an EP by Kylie Minogue called “A Christmas Gift”, but as you can guess it seems to be an error on Apple’s end. As you tap on the download button, you’re brought to the iTunes app which returns an error and says the item is not available.

Perhaps “A Christmas Gift” will be the first free album to download on the 26. If not, well – at least the music introduction Apple put into the app this morning is pretty sweet. Read more

My Artists 1.1 - Still My Favorite iPod Alternative

In my review of My Artists for iPhone months ago, I wrote that the app was the ultimate iPod.app replacement for me. It still is, months after its release and with lots of alternative music players available in the App Store. I never deleted My Artists from my device, and I don’t see it going away from that Music folder on my homescreen anytime soon.

My Artists fetches artists and songs already synced to your device and sitting in the iPod app but provides a completely new layout that offers more information thanks to the magic of the Internet. Not only does the app provide better artist profile pics and cover albums, it also lets you check on detailed bios and related artists.

The latest 1.1 update brings several interface improvements, especially in the main list view where the app feels more solid and crisp than ever. You can also shuffle entire albums or artists now – heck, you can even shuffle your entire library from the main view. That’s quite handy. Last, the app’s engine has been update to be faster, and more stable.

My Artists 1.1 is a nice update to an app that is still one of my favorites on the iPhone. Highly recommended. Go download it here.

AT&T Changing iPhone 4 Eligibility Dates?

Well this only fuels the hot coals in the Verizon iPhone fire. I have had my iPhone 3GS since June of 2009 and my upgrade eligibility is not up until mid-February, 2011. I know because I check, often. It’s always been that … until today. I just got an email not 30 minutes ago from AT&T and is said that I am now eligible to upgrade to the new Apple iPhone 4. Why 2 months early? Could this indeed mean Verizon could be showing off their iPhone after Christmas? The email is pushing me to get it NAO. Could they be trying to lock people into another 2 year contact before some other carrier gets their hands on Apple’s iPhone? We’ll see soon enough.

Read more

Sony Announces Official PlayStation App Coming To The iPhone

Good news, PlayStation fans and Marcus aficionados: there’s an official PlayStation app coming soon to an iPhone near you. As Sony reveals on the official European PlayStation Blog, the app will be available soon for iPhones and iPod touches running iOS 4 and Android devices running 1.6 and above.

The app will let you check on the PSN for your trophies and friends’ status updates, read news about games and hardware for PS devices, get the latest updates from the official PlayStation Blog. It will also have Facebook and Twitter sharing built-in.

The first version of the app will be released in UK, France, Germany, Spain, Italy, and The Netherlands. The next version, already in the works, will support more countries and languages.

If you’re looking for something more than a simple app to check on the PlayStation Network, the PlayStation Phone is still real.