The developer of iBiker, Gurminder Marwaha, was awarded a UK Government grant from the Department of Transport in order to develop his idea and make it a reality. iBiker also serves as a support channel to help national campaigns which encourage responsible, safer and fun motorcycle riding. The app runs as a social enterprise with all cash generated invested back into the app and was created by Redefine Convention using Gurminder’s designs.

With the help of the DfT’s ‘Think Bike” Facebook page and their 35,000 fans, the app name, the design and some features where chosen.

Features

Here is a run down of some of the best features of iBiker.

• Plan, plot and save rides/routes
• Highlight points of interest including cafes, cash points, campsites, petrol stations, meeting points and many more
• Rate routes
• Share all that information with the motorbiking community/friends via Facebook, Twitter, Flickr and other social networking channels
• Check the weather along routes from within the app

Cleverly, the app is based on crowd sourcing and social media using British EuroRAP intelligence provided by the Road Safety Foundation that highlights “the most risky roads and routes in Britain” to bikers in the UK.

Probably one of the best features is the ability to see your route BEFORE you ride it. With the help of the video ride throughs provided by experienced Motorcycle Police with local knowledge, users can see routes around the country and specific collision hotspots, thus enabling them to familiarise themselves with a route before they ride it.

The app also features World Superbike Champion James Toseland on a number of myth busting and bike safety videos.

The app is available globally for iPhone and Android with the current information being far more relevant to UK users, but the developer hopes to have similar information available for other countries in the future.

Here are some screens of the app and some examples of the ride through videos.

Here is an example of one of the ride through videos

Click here to view the embedded video.

iBiker costs just £1.49 which is amazing considering the amount of information it gives to riders. You can download iBiker here for iPhone and find them at the following social links;

Facebook/Twitter/Youtube/Web

The app as always has a great UI and was a pleasure to use. So on the 9th of December, I decided to send one to my other half, not from me, but from my two cats who she loves to bits. It would be a bit of fun that would she would really appreciate, or so I thought.

On the 12th I received a shipping notification to say my card had been shipped and that I would receive it within 5-15 days. We all know that normally this timeframe is just to cover themselves so I expected to receive it within maybe the 5 days depending on how much was spent on postage and what class it was sent by.

Below is what the card I designed looked like;

Well, it is now the 23rd of December and I just got off the phone with Apple, which in itself was a bit of a chore. The first person I spoke to in tech support (no automated option for apps) was a nice woman with a southern US accent, however she had never heard of the cards app, at all, she thought I wanted help with a gift card (really??).

Anyway after 5 minutes on hold a nice woman from the UK after sales team came on the line and agreed to refund my £3.99 in full as I should have received my card on the 16th so it must have been “lost in the post” for whatever reason (funny how my bills still manage to make it to my door). My theory? The font is just too fancy on the envelope and sorting office staff are just giving up on trying to work out where it needs to go.

Now I am faced with the dilemma of do I tell my other half what I attempted to do or just leave it and chalk it up as an Apple fail?

Have you had any experiences with using the cards app? Where they good or bad? Let us know below or use one of the social links at the top of the page.

The iPhone AppStore was first released three year ago, and since then it has become the most successful mobile marketplace to date, anywhere. Apple has served over 18 billion downloads to customers over that timespan, and made the entire experience simple and enjoyable.

Click read more to read through the official press release.

CUPERTINO, California—December 12, 2011—Apple® today announced that over 100 million apps have been downloaded from the Mac® App Store™ in less than one year. With thousands of free and paid apps, the Mac App Store brings the App Store experience to the Mac so you can find great new apps, buy them using your iTunes® account, and download and install them in just one step. Apple revolutionized the app industry with the App Store, which now has more than 500,000 apps and where customers have downloaded more than 18 billion apps and continue to download more than 1 billion apps per month.

“In just three years the App Store changed how people get mobile apps, and now the Mac App Store is changing the traditional PC software industry,” said Philip Schiller, Apple’s senior vice president of Worldwide Marketing. “With more than 100 million downloads in less than a year, the Mac App Store is the largest and fastest growing PC software store in the world.”

“With Autodesk products in both the App Store and Mac App Store, we can reach hundreds of millions of Apple users around the world,” said Amar Hanspal, senior vice president of Platform Solutions and Emerging Business at Autodesk. “With our free AutoCAD WS and the more powerful professional drafting tools of AutoCAD LT, we’re using the Mac App Store to deliver new products and reach a growing base of new Mac customers.”

“The Mac App Store has unparalleled reach and has completely transformed our distribution and development cycle,” said Saulius Dailide of the Pixelmator Team. “Offering Pixelmator 2.0 exclusively on the Mac App Store allows us to streamline updates to our image editing software and stay ahead of the competition.”

“In less than one year we’ve shifted the distribution of djay for Mac exclusively to the Mac App Store,” said Karim Morsy, CEO of algoriddim. “With just a few clicks, djay for Mac is available to customers in 123 countries worldwide. We could never have that reach through traditional channels.”

The Mac App Store offers thousands of apps in Education, Games, Graphics & Design, Lifestyle, Productivity, Utilities and other categories. Users can browse new and noteworthy apps, find out what’s hot, see staff favorites, search categories and look up top charts for paid and free apps, as well as user ratings and reviews. The Mac App Store is included with Mac OS® X Lion and is available as a software update for any Mac running Mac OS X Snow Leopard®. For more information visit, www.apple.com/mac/app-store.

Mac developers set the prices for their apps, keep 70 percent of the sales revenue, are not charged for free apps and do not have to pay hosting, marketing or credit card fees. To find out more about developing for the Mac App Store visit, developer.apple.com/programs/mac.

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 has recently introduced iPad 2 which is defining the future of mobile media and computing devices.

(Apple)

Luckily for Apple users this means that they’re more likely to attract the best developers in the world than Android, making iOS a better platform to use than Android.

It’s believed that Android have generated only $330 million for their developers, whereas Apple have generated $4.9 billion.  That’s a pretty big difference which only backs up the rumours that Apple have a bigger app market share than Android.  Piper Jaffray help to prove this rumour further by stating that Apple have 8-90% of app market share; with a total of 14% of apps being paid for, whereas only 1% of Android apps are paid for.  Therefore it’s no surprise that Apple Devs receive a higher pay packet.

Even though the popularity of Android has and is still increasing, it’s still believed that Apple will have 70% of the app market share in the next four years – so if I was a Dev I’d be giving Apple a call!

This update is a smail update which fixes some minor issues and expands support for videos imported from external cameras.

iMovie 1.2.2 is available under the updates tab in the iTunes AppStore as usual, or if you haven’t downloaded it yet, then all you need to do is search for “iMovie” in the AppStore. Please be advised that there is a price tag associated with this app, so be aware of that before you install it.

The app will cost about £1.27 (2 bucks in the US) per month to subscribe to all the knowledge in the world, which is a lot less than buying all the volumes, but surely we all just use our favourite free search engines to answer any of our questions nowadays!

Putting that aside though, the sources used in the Encyclopaedia Britannica are all reliable and are often academics, journalists and experts, whereas some free content *cough* Wikipedia isn’t always the most factually spot on.  So for less than £2 a month, having factually correct information is worth it, especially if you’re studying.

The app has been tested out by All Things D who said of it:

“I’ve been testing this new iPad app, and I like it. It is much cleaner and more attractive than the cluttered Britannica website and sports some nice features, including a dynamic “link map” showing the relationship between topics in a visual format. Unlike the Web version, it is free of ads.”

Slated to be out in a couple of weeks, it has been noted that the app doesn’t have any outbound links or videos, which could be a let down for some; but to be able to have so much reliable information in your hands for such a small price is a compromise I’d be willing to pay.

Today I’m going to Review a great Productivity app called Blogsy. Blogsy for iPad is available via the iTunes AppStore for £2.99, It has been created by the Developers over at Fomola,  Download Here. Make sure to leave a review in iTunes and your thoughts below. They are really friendly over at Twitter and Facebook so if you have any questions hit them up.

Right, now let’s get on to the part you have been waiting for.

Before I came across Blogsy I was using WordPress for iOS. Personally I think Automattic dropped the ball a little as for the most part the app was full of bugs and crashes, and when you are using a tool that affects your blog, it is important that that tool works properly. It was very hard to get use to and I kept on having to go to safari to get all the images then back to the WordPress app to put all of the images in place. After I gathered all that together I needed to put the coding in (HTML) and put the images in the right place which I needed to go to the computer to do all of that, that was a nightmare for me because I shouldn’t have to go to the Computer at all and that’s why I moved to Blogsy. In fact this article you’re reading now was entirely written and edited in Blogsy. All the formatting, images and links went through Blogsy’s content editor.

Once you open the app for the very first time you will be greeted with a login page where you can login to either Blogger, WordPress blogs or Posterous (You can set up as many accounts as you have), after all of that you will see an article from the Team showing you a little bit of info about the app it self.

In the settings (near the title) you can find all of your information for your article, the title, publish date, categories, tags, allow comments, status, visibility, and post type. There is a local tab were you can find all of the articles that you have drafted up in Blogsy. There is also an online tab so that you can see all of the posts already created/published on the sites you have added. In the Settings on the right hand side You will find all of the how-to videos/guides and social sites that blogsy has integrated so that you can login to them, also there are some general Settings.

On the other side of the title bar you will find a quick add sign, this is where you can add a new article. The current article you are working on will be moved to the local tab.

What is really good about this app is the offline mode. This allows you to create articles and next time you are connected to the internet Blogsy will publish them.

The Blogsy team has implemented a “Rich Side” and a “HTML Side” that allows you to edit your article like never before, you can see the “Rich Side” by swiping Right and you can see the “HTML Side” by swiping 3 fingers Left. The “Rich Side” is where you can drag and drop images, add links, format text and change image and video properties and on the “HTML Side” you can write text, edit & write HTML and paste embed codes.

On the Tool bar (at the top), you can have quick access to the HTML code on both the “Rich Side” and the “HTML Side”. You also get all the regular features of a WYSIWYG editor and just on the “HTML Side” you will have the ability to add a More tag as well as all of the Stuff on the “Rich Side”.

On the right side of the screen you’ll see icons that represent Flickr, Picasa, YouTube , Google Image Search, A Safari Browser, Photo album And WordPress media. If you want to get text, images or video from any of those’s sources you just drag that information over and drop it into your blog, this needs to be on the “Rich Side”. From the browser you can also grab images and just drop them in place from any site, it is that simple.

After you get your content you can style and resize it to fit just by clicking on it.

Here are some images

Conclusion

The app is very easy to setup and with the Help article it is very easy to use.

I have given four and a half stars because since I have got this app I have notice that I have been writing a lot more than with the WordPress app, plus I haven’t had to use a computer to centre the images. The UI and the integration with the built in services like Safari,YouTube, and Google image are perfect. Having a “Rich Side” and “write Side” is an excellent idea and well thought out. The “Offline Mode” is well executed and I have used many Apps that have WordPress built in and not one of them has a feature like this. The Drag and Drop Feature is a great way to move/edit videos and images so that is why i have given four and a half stars.

It would have been 5 but there are some little features that I would still like to see in Blogsy but the about page on the website has a voting system for the next features to be added, you can vote for your next feature here.

Other than that it is an excellent app and one of my most used iPad apps.

Pros and Cons

Pros:

Drag and drop feature.

Edit images and videos right in the app.

The side bar.

The ‘Rich Side’ and the ‘Write Side’.

The information tab (Settings).

The most used HTML coding is on the top.

Doesn’t just have WordPress but also has Blogger and Posterous.

Article guide when first open.

Integrated Services.

The Quick add sign.

Cons:

(NONE)

I will be updating all of the pros and cons on Top the Apps posts so make sure you come back.

Information

If you want to vote for what you would like to see added to Blogsy go here — http://www.blogsyapp.com/about

How-to videos can really help you get the most out of Blogsy. The videos can be found here – http://www.blogsyapp.com/how-to

I hope you enjoy the app as much as I do. What do you think? Please leave a comment below.

If you don’t know what “Top the Apps” is please click here.

Remember If you would like your App reviewing there drop us an email here.

Please remember If I review an App you like the look of then please support the Developers.

Now I am not a huge FourSquare user, mainly down to always forgetting to check-in, but Forecast seems like a pretty good tool for die hard users. Forecast, rather than announcing where you are, allows you to announce where you are going and when you are going to be there. Then, once there, you can check-in to let your friends know you are there. This also updates your FourSquare account as a check-in, thus awarding you the relevant points. You can search for your destination easily with most of the world now available to choose from.

The app is currently in private beta and therefore invite only during testing. If you have a Foursquare friend on Forecast then they can invite you in, if not then you have to wait or request an invite by visiting foreca.st.

Forecast is a well crafted app that is pleasing to the eye and as I said is a great accompaniment to Foursquare. Below are some pics of the app in action.

Thanks to @charlieraf for the invite

Today I am going to review the game Bejeweled Blitz 2. This is originally a game from Facebook which is now available in the App Store free of charge. It has been created by PopCap Games!

You can choose to play in either Classic, Action or Endless mode, or you can connect through Facebook and challenge your friends in Blitz mode. The aim of the game is to match 3 or more of the same Gem, the more you can get in a line, the more coins you will get.

Once you pass certain targets in Blitz starting at 25,000 points you are given the option to share your achievement and post it to your Facebook Wall. You can earn the ability to buy special Gems that award special moves, such as a Cat which will make its way around the board collecting almost all of your Gems to help you. I personally have not yet managed to save up for any of these yet.

When you click on the information icon, it gives you the option to go through the Help options and also the Legal sections, which opens up as new web page. You can also change the settings such as sound and music.

You can also see where you rank amongst your Facebook friends. The more points you score, the more coins you earn. There is a link where you can purchase more coins if you don’t have the patience to wait. With the coins that you save up, you can purchase special powers, such as special Gems being hidden on the board which will cause an explosion and blast certain rows away.

Images below;

Bejeweled Blitz is highly addictive and will make you want to beat your friends every week.

At Subway you can collect points each time you make a purchase, and rather than carrying a points card around with you which can get squashed, ripped or lost, this app gives you a digital points card which is a great idea. The QRcode symbol above is where the staff member will scan your phone so that when you are paying, the points will be added to your account.

When you click on “My Subcard” it shows you your current points balance and all of your previous transactions. In the UK, for every 10p spent you will receive 1 point, in the ROI you need to spend 15c to earn 1 point.

Below is a breakdown of what you can get for you points;

• For 200 points you can claim a free snack (i.e: toasties, salads, nachos.)
• For 500 points you can claim a free 6″ Regular Sub, salad or wrap.
• For 1000 points you can claim a free Regular Footlong Sub.

You can also search for your nearest store using this App. It can pick up  your current location or you can search manually by either inputing your postcode or region.

There is also a FAQ section which gives you contact details for the helpline, shows you how to check your points balance and tells you how to earn points and how you can redeem them.

In the current financial climate this app is a great money saver, because lets face it, who doesn’t want a free lunch?

You may recognise it, the ad is running in both the US and UK, however there are different versions for both. I saw nothing unusual with the US version but when i saw the UK version something struck me as odd, but I will get to that.

The ad goes through some apps in the AppStore, the companies behind these apps most probably paid a small fortune to have them featured in the advert too. But what about those not fully featured but still visible. On the home screen we see the likes of Twitter and IMDb, and of course there are those shown in the AppStore itself.

Within the first 5 seconds of the ad and appearing as soon as the AppStore is opened we see the “App Starter Kit” section, and it probably comes as no surprise to see Facebook (yes I know, here comes another Facebook rant – well sort of) top of the list. Nothing unusual there, it is probably one of the most downloaded apps in the AppStore, but that doesn’t mean that users are satisfied with it.

Last week I featured an article on how dissatisfied users are at the current state of the FaceBook app, and one of the things I noted was that the app barely has a 2 star rating from almost 3000 ratings.

Below is a screenshot of Facebook in the AppStore today.

Now here is a screenshot from the ad in question

Here we see Facebook with a 4 star rating from over 35,000 ratings. Umm, I don’t think so. Assuming these ads are pretty current these numbers are way off! Even if the ad was from months ago, it has been a very long time since Facebook was anything but a 2 star app amongst their users. As I am aware, when an app receives an update, reviews are unchanged, but ratings apply only to the newest update, but come on? These ratings look like they have been taken from the first month Facebook appeared on the AppStore.

What is more disturbing is that right below the Facebook app we see Twitter with a 2 star rating from just over 1000 ratings, huh? That can’t be right, Twitter is a far superior app than Facebook and actually works as it should.

Below is Twitter as it appears in the AppStore today.

As you can see it has a much healthier 3.5 stars which would be higher if people understood that when the Twitter API is having issues, so does the app, it is not down to the app itself, unlike Facebook.

To make sure the ad wasn’t using pages from the US AppStore I checked and Facebook has a 2.5 star rating with mainly negative reviews, and Twitter has 4/5 stars.

So what is going on with these adverts? Is the highest bidder being made to look better than they really are? Who knows but there is something fishy going on here.

Maybe I am making something out of nothing but these don’t look very accurate to me.

What do you think? Let us know in the comments below or send us a tweet @MyGreatiPhone

Commenting only on its official Twitter account, Tweetdeck say that “As part of the process of making TweetDeck more consistent with Twitter.com & Twitter’s mobile apps, we’re removing deck.ly from our apps”.

Tweetdeck was recently bought by Twitter and has now moved in with TwitterUK’s home to become all cosey. Whether this is a move that Twitter has asked for is unclear.

Tweet-longer services, to post more than 140characters in a tweet by linking to a URL, have always been questionable in the twitter-verse. Widely used Twitlonger is probably the most widely used service until Tweetdeck incorporated their own Deck.ly service with their apps because it was more secure. Whether this makes a damage to the amount of users the app has is a question to be asked later on in the year.

Apps were not long ago being punished by Twitter HQ that used Twitlonger because they were allowing DMs to also be used by the service, thus making DMs no longer private. Most apps (if not all) have now fixed this issue. Any apps that do allow DMs to become public will be banned by Twitter for use.

Since Tweetdeck has been bought by Twitter, people have always wondered what is next for Tweetdeck and what will happen. No one yet knows. All we do know is, is that they have moved in together.

With iOS5 on the way, will we see a huge change with Tweetdeck apps in time or just a compatabilty fix? Time will tell.

Still no word on the widely anticipated iPad version, however.

So you would assume that a company as large as Facebook with their many developers could provide their iPhone users with a near flawless application with which to update their status from, right? WRONG! The Facebook app has a start rating of 2 in the AppStore, it would be one were it not for the handful of people that don’t seem to have any issues with it.

Two stars?? Facebook? Go and check it out for yourself, the poor reviews make interesting reading. The app has gone downhill since Joe Hewitt quit working on it, so who is working on it now? Geohot? Doubtful, even he wouldn’t release unfinished applications like this.

So what exactly makes the Facebook app the bane of so many peoples daily lives? There are many reasons but to name a few;

• Constant crashing – Nearly every bad review mentions crashing of some sort, heck some people can’t even open the app without it crashing.
• Inability to perform the simplest tasks such as commenting on a friends status or uploading a photo.
• Loading……loading…..loading! We all seem to have one persistent friend that stalks us all at one time or another – his name is Loading!
• Non existent updates – I am currently suffering from this one. The last update that Facebook released 3 days ago was a major update. It claimed to give users the ability to tag friends and locations in status updates. I see no evidence of this whatsoever, the version number shows latest and I see changes to the profile tab, but I like many still see the old status update page, why? How is it possible that some see the updated features and others don’t? below is an example of what it “used” to look like and what it “should” look like;

So the above is the old style with just the option to change who can view your status update.

Below is how it “should”appear now, new buttons new functions.Sadly I like many still see the old style. Maybe Facebook released the new features and then pulled that version quickly, if that is the case then some kind of statement to that effect would please a lot of users.

How has your experience been while using the Facebook app?

BoxHead the zombie wars is a game for iPhone and iPod from MEDL Mobile inc. and Sean Cooper. The object of this game is essentially kill everything that moves within 3 feet of you by what ever means necessary. This game mixes all the things that us gamers love with shoot em up’s, it becomes very addictive and very stressful at times especially in nightmare mode (trust me it’s a freaking nightmare)

When you first open the app you are greeted with a menu that headlines with “Select Battlefield” which straight away makes sure you know what you’re dealing with from the off. I like the menu layout its simple and allows you to just get down to business whenever you are ready.

At the lower point of the menu is your difficulty settings starting at casual for those not daring to risk it but a little easy in my opinion but for a first time just to get to know the gameplay it works. Hardcore is the second on the list which is more like it, zombies come at you more frequently and surround you very quickly. Now nightmare mode is exactly what it says on the tin an absolute nightmare in every sense of the word especially on the close combat map the smallest of the six you will survive no longer than a minute I assure you.

There are six maps available to play, varying in size and layout depending on what you prefer. The maps are called: Close Combat, Death Valley, Knee Deep, Welcome To Hell(nice touch), The Inner Circle and lastly Lucifers Den. I have spent most my time playing on the smallest map (close combat) because it seems more challenging because the zombies are coming from four directions very close to you making strategy very important as you can see from my screenshot:

The Gameplay is very fluid and doesn’t lag at all even when there is hundreds of zombies coming to seal your doom. Waves of zombies come at you, every time you clear a wave you go up a level. The higher you go the quantity of zombies rises as well as the types of zombies, oh yes there are different types with different strengths! There’s mummies, zombies, runners and even fire breathing devils! Who I must say wreak havoc when they arrive. The higher level you go the stronger the monsters get, instead of taking one bullet they require serious firepower to kill even with a shot gun.

Yes, those red things are DEVILS!

One of the good things about the game is how many varying weapons that are available you can choose between a Pistol, Shotgun, Uzi, C4 (hmmm), Barricades (you never know), Grenades, Explosive Barrels, MG Turret(very useful), Mini gun, Rocket Launcher and last but not least an air strike. Out of all the weapons any zombie killing fan will know the shotgun is undoubtably the best choice. Killing multiple targets with the shotgun not only scores you more points, it also saves you on ammunition. Guns are unlocked at certain levels and to resupply you with ammo the zombies kindly drop it once you’ve killed them (how sweet). The air strike takes a while to earn, quite a few zombies have to die for the pleasure. The air strike completely wipes the map of all zombie and awards you all the points from killing them very nice indeed, best to save this for when your surrounded by devils….

Within the pause menu your stats are displayed showing how well you’re doing in the current game and your highest ever position reached. It also displays the multipliers required to unlock the different weapons. Getting multipliers up to 50 to gain access to an air strike takes some time unless you go running round like a mad man with the mini gun, but I prefer the tactical approach. The pause menu even shows how many things you have killed for ultimate bragging rights against your mates.

The most important part of any zombie gaming experience is the gore, there is definitely enough to go round. Once you have killed any zombie, pools of blood appear on the floor satisfying every persons quench for gore. The good thing about this app on the gore side is it does not over do it, keeping it simple and enough to keep you entertained and make you say wow look what I have done.

Time for some general playtime screenshots:

As you can see from the screenshots this app has everything that you would ever need from a shoot em up. If you’re a strategy lover you can filter the zombies through your barricades whilst your MG turrets kill them from a distance. If you’re a gun and run kind of guy do not dispare you can have your cake and eat it with the Uzi or the Mini gun and you can also unlock auto firing on your shotgun! For the maniac in all of us.

Overall this app is a wonderful way to fill time whilst on the bus journey home. It’s amazing how quick the time goes whilst playing this app, I have been thinking ill play it for 10 minutes which accidentally turns into 30 minutes. Its incredibly addictive as you always know its possible to beat your highest achieved level or score, the variation of zombies per wave keep the game feeling fresh and never repetitive. The only thing this app is currently missing is Game center but this could come in future updates.

You can purchase the app from the app store here at a current price of £1.99 which is a small price to pay for how much entertainment you will get out of this. For those that STILL need convincing there is a lite version available too which lets you play the first 4 levels to get a feel for the game but I am sure you will be craving more carnage quickly. Please support app authors so they can keep awesome apps coming in the future…..

Have you ever met someone who you were sure would be a perfect match for you but they turned out to be the opposite? Well now thanks to the developers over at MEDLmobile and LA Actor & Director Jim Eshom, there is an app to help you.

Boink allows you to match your sexual compatibility with others by “boinking” your iPhone’s together using the built in Bump technology.

Users can set the likes, dislikes, kinks & fetishes of their most intimate interests using the sliders. Then simply “Boink” your iPhone’s together to get a compatibility rating before you go too far.

The important thing is to be honest when setting your preferences, otherwise it won’t work and you will just end up with an unsuitable partner.

Currently Boink is free from the AppStore but this may change soon so go grab your copy quickly!

Thanks to MEDLmobile and Rob Shoesmith for approaching us for a review. You can check out some other great apps from MEDLmobile here. Also check out Robs iPhone 5 Experiment here.

I am now running iOS 5 beta 6 and have previously Jailbroken all the other beta firmwares but when beta 6 dropped I thought “lets try to run stock for a while and see I get on”. And I have to say there is nothing I really miss about Jailbreaking.

Now you see with iOS 5 beta 6 there is no untethered Jailbreak, so if I want to reboot my phone (or have to reboot it) I have to be near a computer, which is not really possible all the time and this is the main reason I decided to go stock.

With all previous firmwares there has always felt like something was missing for me or something that didn’t really feel right but iOS 5 managed to capture that and has left me thinking do I really need a Jailbreak?

First of all my main reasons for Jailbreaking were Lockinfo and qTweeter. Lockinfo provided a way that allowed me to see my missed calls, important calander events and more right on my LockScreen but it also allowed me to block those annoying Apple popup boxes. qTweeter was there to all me to quickly tweet from any application this usually was a link to a webpage or YouTube vid. Apple has managed to grab both of those things and implement well into iOS5.

Those are just 2 things that Apple have taken from the community thou, the biggest would be WiFi-Sync. The creator of WiFI-Sync first sent his App to Apple to be sold in the App Store, but they did not allow it, so he then released it on Cydia. Enter iOS 5 and guess what, Apple has a new feature called “WiFi Sync” that allows you to sync your iDevice with iTunes via WiFi. Tell me they didn’t take that from the iCommunity – heck they even have the same logo (well same enough)

Its not just that Apple are taking the iCommunities tweaks and Apps and putting them into iOS as standard, its that now developers of those tweaks and Apps are starting to get bored or Apples is employing them!

First of all take Geohot (the orginal iPhone hacker) he has now left the Jailbreak scene because he works for Facebook, and I can certainly say that somewhere in his contact that it says “no more releasing Jailbreaks”

Next in line is Comex, just this week he has announced that he has started an internship with Apple, by by Comex, no more Jailbreaks from him.

The after that chpwn (the guy behind infinidock and infinifolders) stands up on Twitter and says:

I’m not joining Apple, but I’m also bored and probably not going to do much more jailbreak stuff. Probably.

The biggest problem that people complained about was Apples notification popups they where ugly and clunky, not really Apple. There has been many people that have tried to change the notifications system but the favourite seemed to be Mobile Notifier.  Guess what happened to the Dev of that tweak, yep you guessed right Apple got him, and funnily enough the new iOS 5 notifications look real similar to Mobile Notifier.

So its not just tweak ideas they take from the Jailbreak scene and community but also the devs.

I know there are still some great Jailbreak features out there like Winterboard and iFile and many of you will argue that Jailbreaking will never die and there there is always tweaks out there to make things better and I agree with that, but also iOS 5 is probably the most feature packed OS there is and Apple seems to have got it right.

Lets say for instance that Apple introduce themeing, hey they stole the idea of Homescreen wallpaper so its not that hard to believe, and they allowed themers to developer themes and sell them in the App Store do you really think that many of the iCommunity themers would stay to release their stuff in Cydia. That would kill one of the biggest reasons why people Jailbreak.

I personally think that slowly but surely Apple is starting to win the Jailbreak battle. They are taking the tweaks, Jailbreak Devs and the tweaks Devs themselves. They are also making it harder to Jailbreak their devices.

Look at the iPad 2, we have only seen 1 Jaibreak for this device and the device has been out for nearly 7 months (released on March the 11th in the US). That Jailbreak was not even a bootrom Jailbrerak it was a Userland one meaning that with a small iOS update it was killed, plus the Comex the developer of JailbreakMe (the program used to Jailbreak the iPad 2) now works for Apple.

I’m not saying that the Jailbreak is totally over or that I will never Jailbreak again but I can see the end coming soon, either with Apple stopping the exploits from being found or them implementing that many features that there will not be any need to Jailbreak anymore.

Let me know in the comments below what you think about the Jailbreak Scene or hit me up on Twitter @d900man. I’m interested to know what your thoughts are.

The day after his resignation an image appeared on TMZ.com showing an extremely withered and waif Steve Jobs which frankly made him look like he could drop dead at any second. We didn’t cover this out of respect for Steve Jobs because if it was him it certainly shouldn’t have been broadcast across the internet.

Today it has indeed been shown to be a fake shopped image, which is frankly disgusting. Such sites that make up these things should hang their heads in shame.

The image below shows how the image has been Photoshopped;

It is things like this that make the internet the sorry state it is today where people will believe anything they see without giving it a second thought. TMZ, you should be ashamed of yourselves.

We urge you all to think before you believe everything you see and read.

]]> http://www.mygreatiphone.com/info/photo-of-steve-jobs-was-photoshopped-sickening/feed/ 0 http://www.mygreatiphone.com/reviews/pro-hdr-updated-to-v3-0/ http://www.mygreatiphone.com/reviews/pro-hdr-updated-to-v3-0/#comments Thu, 25 Aug 2011 19:00:54 +0000 Danny http://www.mygreatiphone.com/?p=10756

HDR was announced by Apple back in 2010, which was a feature in the Camera App that will make your pictures better but it was just available for the iPhone 4. Thats were this app comes in, Pro HDR will make your picture much better, plus you can edit right in the App to make stunning pictures. Also you can show the Grid, switch to the front facing camera, enable auto HDR and crop and share to 6 social sites.

Pro HDR is compatible only with iPhone 4, iPhone 3GS, and iPod Touch 4G with camera, running iOS 4 or newer. Pro HDR will not install on iPhone 3G or iPad 1.

Pro HDR is available for Free / £1.49 via the AppStore.

Heres what’s new:

Total UI overhaul! Pro HDR is now a Universal Binary and runs natively on iPhone 3GS and 4, iPod 4G, and iPad 2. App now defaults to camera view, and allows quick mode changes within the camera. Added Facebook, Twitter, Flickr, and Tumblr sharing. Added cropping, digital zoom, HDR off mode, speed improvements, and much more!

Angry birds has been updated to bring you more fun and more addictive levels. Angry Birds has 6 story lines with 63 levels on one story line. Basically the whole game involves you needing to hit pigs to unlock different levels and stories, at first it is easy but as you progress it will get harder and harder. In the game there are 6 eggs to find, hidden in 6 different levels.

Check out Angry Birds Seasons and Angry Birds Rio also which are both in the iTunes AppStore and both are available for iPhone and iPad. Angry Birds is 69p via the iTunes AppStore

Here’s what the team had to say;

It’s the end of the line for the piggies, with the final update for Mine and Dine! The Angry Birds have followed them deep into their subterranean lair, and now there’s no place left to hide! Help the birds finish off those greedy piggies with your best bird-flinging moves in stylish new underground levels!

New Features in version 1.6.3:

- 15 pig-smacking new levels!
- Epic conclusion of Mine and Dine!
- Mighty Eagle still in business: Buy once, unlimited use!

In version 1.5.0, we introduced the Mighty Eagle downloadable content. If you get stuck in the game, you have the opportunity to purchase a can of sardines, which you use to lure out the elusive Mighty Eagle. This phenomenal creature will the soar from the skies to wreak havoc and smash the pesky pigs into oblivion!

Mighty Eagle will help you skip the toughest obstacles, but there’s a limit: you can only use the aid of Mighty Eagle to pass a level once per hour. In other words, when you pass a level with Mighty Eagle, you need to wait an hour to use him again to pass another level.

Is that all? Far from it! Mighty Eagle includes all new gameplay goals and achievements! In each level that you already cleared using the regular birds, you can smash away freely and try to fill up the destruction gauge! If you want to smash your way through every level leaving nothing behind, you have every incentive to do so!

Mighty Eagle is an in-app purchase in Angry Birds and costs $0.99/£0.59/€0.79 to download. One-time purchase, unlimited use!

We’d like to take this opportunity to extend our infinite gratitude to friends of our fierce birds everywhere. We thank you sincerely from the bottoms of our fluffy hearts for making Angry Birds the highest rated and best selling game ever on iTunes!

What is Ringtonium? In short it is probably the most aesthetically pleasing, professional and accurate ringtone creation app for iOS we have ever seen!

Ringtonium is definitely a cut above the rest when it comes to apps like this. It has a beautiful UI which many hours of graphical expertise must have gone into.

The functionality is also second to none. The app allows you to select any song from your iTunes library or record a custom tune and create a ringtone unto 40 seconds long. You can use the VERY precise scroll wheel to select the exact snippet you want (within 0.01 of a second) or simply move the sliders to find the start and end parts.

When you have the selection you want you can play it back to make sure you have all the best bits. From there you can select the FX tab where you can add fade in/fade out, change the pitch, add a flange effect, add an echo effect and introduced in the latest update (1.4) is a really unique feature – reverse, you can reverse your ringtone and basically have it play backwards.

Once you have finished with your ringtone you can select the save tab where you can export the ringtone or choose to share it via email, Facebook, Twitter or SMS. However, thanks to Apple and their restrictive ways, in order to get the ringtone into your ringtone section so you can actually use it you must connect to iTunes on your desktop, click the Apps tab and scroll down to the bottom where you will see Ringtonium. Select it and you will see your created ringtones on the right where you can save them to your desktop and then import into iTunes. This process is a little long winded and requires the use of your computer but it is the best that Apple allows.

Gallery

You can get the Pro version here and for those that want to try the app first the developers have also provided a LITE version which has a few limitations on functionality - ads, shorter ringtone length, basic sound filters (no reverse, echo, flange) but still allows you to get a feel for the app. You can get the LITE version here.

BamBooApps are currently running a competition for anyone who signs up for their newsletter which you can find more info on here. There are no special instructions, just sign up, sit back and a winner will be chosen sometime in the next month to win a $50 iTunes gift card.

Thanks to the folks over at BamBooApps for supplying us with a review sample of this fantastic application. Our verdict? You will struggle to find a ringtone creation app on the AppStore that even comes close to this one!

This is not the case.

BenT, a user on the Apple Dev Forums who works at Apple (if going by his special Apple logo in his name is anything to go by) states the following:

It will continue to work for some amount time.  Older apps that are not updated will run fine for a very long time.  However, eventually newer applications will need to migrate off the deprecated API.

There have been no statements on when “eventually” will be.  It could be iOS 6 or even iOS 7.  Or it could (completely hypothetically) be much sooner than that if the App Store stops accepting new updates that use deprecated API.  I don’t know that they will, but one might imagine that they could.

There’s no need to rush out updates.  And there’s no need to do anything about apps that you do not update at all.  That’s the difference between deprecation and removal.

But you should expect some future update of yours ought to include removing the use of deprecated API and that future totally new applications should never use this method to begin with.

- Ben

So, if you use UUID and think you need to rush an update, don’t. Take your time and make sure it works for you and collate your data between the two uses. You won’t have your arse bitten right away.

It would be lovely if this stayed and actually you can keep the app store open when updating all apps too, eh? We’ll see!

Don’t forget, iOS 5 is currently in Beta. On Beta 6 and for Apple iOS Developers only. Don’t attempt to install it illegitimately. You’ll slap yourself silly when it doesn’t work.

We expect iOS5 to be announced in September with a GM release.

Howdy all, hope everything is going well!
This one is going to be a little short and sweet mainly because there isn’t much to it.  iPod Memos tweak will add a new button to the Voices Memos application which is ‘Add to iPod”. It will let you add the voice memo that you have recorded and add it into the iPod application.

No new icon is added to your Homescreen and there are no options to configure either

This tweak is available via Cydia for Free

Want to chat with a writer or have any questions? Well, hit us up on Facebook and Twitter! Don’t worry, we will get back to you quick! You can also hit up a member directly if you would like!

@Mygreatiphone
@Nazaroth
@d900man
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@Goalie7242
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There are a lot of bad and good notetaking apps out there but not all good apps are that very customisable and haven’t got the best UI design.

I have found a very customisable app with the best UI I’ve ever seen in that category.

Here are some of the COOL Features in the app:

• Ability to sync with your Dropbox account witht he option of importing from Dropbox
• The slider allows you to make new notes and move notes/todo’s around
• Three themes which allow you to customize your App
• Assorted other great Features in the app.

Here’s a video showing ThinkBook in action:

Click here to view the embedded video.

ThinkBook has 4 and a half Stars in the AppStore right now, so you know that this app is at the top end.

ThinkBook is a paid-for App and is £2.99 in the iTunes AppStore and is for iPad users only.

The developer is called Bitolithic and they really do listen to their comments.

Feedback

Heres some comments from iTunes:

The best out there.

by airplus2

Since I got it, I have slowly been deleting all the other todo – notes – outliners – lists etc and similar apps from my iPad.

I like the interface, it is smooth, fluid and (once you understand how it works) very intuitive.

I wish it would allow to export / import file in either Life Balance (.lbd or .lbe) or MLO formats, so I could sync with my desktop outliners, but that may come in the future.

Still No Printing Or Security Features

by Drusus

The update is welcome, and the addition of email integration will no doubt be appreciated by many of it’s current users. Also some of the tweaks such ‘double tap’ of the “Slider Bar” makes it feel more integrated, but I’m am somewhat disappointed that of yet no Passcode or security features have been implemented. I use this app regularly as it’s great for brain storming as well as quick note taking when in meetings, but because it has no security at all, I find I cannot use it half as much as I would like. On top of this, it still fails to implement a print feature. Again something that is needed. It’s not a priority or essential or a ‘finger painting app’ or similar, but this is after all an application for the ‘written word’ so to speak!

I really hope the developers will implement these two features fairly soon, or I will have to abandon this app for something else, which would be a shame as it is a unique application.

I really love this app. It is extremely intuitive and the Welcome notes & tips are well written.

It is a good sign when a developer takes the time to create instructions in a clear and precise manner without being patronising or loaded with techno babble.

Conclusion

The app is very easy to setup and with its support for DropBox (which is essential nowadays) you need never be without your documents!

The interface, with it’s “Slider” tool is a joy to use, and makes for very quick work.

I have given four stars as I have held one back, and that’s due to the lack of a Passcode lock. I cannot think why this would have been left out as it’s commonplace in most applications of this type, perhaps the developer will include this in a future update.

Other than that, it’s one of the best apps in this category.

Pros and Cons

Pros:

• Very customisable.
• Able to sync with Dropbox.
• Guides in the App.
• The Slider.

Cons:

• Not Universal.
• Can’t delete Tabs.
• More Themes.

I will be updating all of the cons and pros on Top the Apps posts so make sure you come back.

Information

For more info on the app and guides on Thinkbook app click here, Thinkbook can be downloaded here

I hope you enjoy the app mush as I do. What do you think please leave a comment below.

If you don’t know what “Top the Apps” is pleases click here.

Remember If you would like your App reviewing there drop us an email here.

Please remember If I review an App you like the look of then please support the Dev and don’t go and get it from a cracked site.

Want to chat with a writer or have any questions? Well, hit us up on Facebook and Twitter! Don’t worry, we will get back to you quick! You can also hit up a member directly if you would like!

@Mygreatiphone
@Nazaroth
@d900man
@Dazkeirle
@Goalie7242
@Dannylargan
@Ravenatic
@FEARtheSERVER

There are over 306554 iPhone apps and over 60000 iPad app in the AppStore right now and growing and not all of them are good apps.

Thats where I come in I will be doing a weekly series to tell you what are the best Free or paid iPad and iPhone apps.

I will be taking a look at what are the pros and cons, as well as reviewing the App itself.

If you would like your App reviewing there drop us an email here.

If I review an App you like the look of then please support the Dev  and don’t go and get it from a cracked site.

Top of the Apps will start next week so please leave a comment below on what Apps you would like to see.

Want to chat with a writer or have any questions? Well, hit us up on Facebook and Twitter! Don’t worry, we will get back to you quick! You can also hit up a member directly if you would like!

@mygreatiphone
@Nazaroth
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@Dannylargan
@Ravenatic
@FEARtheSERVER

As we all know, the AppStore for iDevices and the Mac is a huge success with over 500,000 apps and available in over 30 countries.

Now thanks to AllmyApps you have an AppStore for your Windows PC. This AppStore lets you discover new programs all over the internet.

I use this Program as I am a windows user, but I am now going to get a Mac soon, but this app for me is a beautiful way to get the programs I need and I have found lots of programs like CCleaner which cleans up  your PC. This program cleans up your history/cookies and also empty your Recycle bin and many more.

If you are a Windows user and want to discover new programs then this is the one for you, also you need to signup to access it all. To download the program click here http://allmyapps.com/ 

What do you think? Please leave a comment below on your thoughts.

More Posts coming Soon.

Want to chat with a writer or have any questions? Well, hit us up on Facebook and Twitter! Don’t worry, we will get back to you quick! You can also hit up a member directly if you would like!

@mygreatiphone
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Click here to view the embedded video.

What do you think? Please leave a comment below on your thoughts.

More Posts coming Soon.

Want to chat with a writer or have any questions? Well, hit us up on Facebook and Twitter! Don’t worry, we will get back to you quick! You can also hit up a member directly if you would like!

@mygreatiphone
@Nazaroth
@d900man
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@Dannylargan
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@FEARtheSERVER

On this very day back in 2008, Steve Jobs announced the App Store. It was the day before the iPhone 3G launch. Steve Jobs himself and his team didn’t know that the App Sore will be so successful back in 2008.

Apple’s App Store has generated 15 billion downloads since its launch on July 10, 2008.

The App Store now offers more than 425,000 apps, 100,000 of which are created specifically for the iPad.

When the App store was released back in 2008 it set the whole new platform in the way that “apps” are installed onto smart phones. Even other companies have jumped on the “App Store” bandwagon.

So now all we have to say is Happy Birthday App Sore.

Comment down below on what’s your favourite App in the App Store and say Happy Birthday yourself.

Over the last couple of months, a team of researchers based in France has been working on an innovative glasses-free technology to bring three-dimensional effects to the iPhone and the iPad. The technology uses head tracking mechanisms to calculate what the picture on the device’s display should look like, based on the location of the user’s head.

As a result, both iPad and iPhone are able to offer 3D, without the need of a special screen, or glasses.

The demo has now been released to the public, and is available on the App Store. Named i3D, the app offers five different demos, and each one of them is nothing short of impressive.

The app is compatible with the iPad 2, as well as iPhone 4 and fourth-generation iPod touch. First generation iPad owners, the demo is simply incompatible with your device, as it requires a front camera to work.

One thing that I noticed however, is that those of us who sport longer than normal facial hair aka beards, are simply out of luck as the app states that “Beards will not be tolerated by this app, users MUST remove all wizard-like growths before commencing use of the app” Obviously I made that bit up, but it does reference beards;

If you would like to see the app in action, see the video below.

Click here to view the embedded video.

This article contains fictional quotes and in no way represents the views of the developers. No Bearded folk were harmed in the making of this article.

Since then Nike has released their Nike+ GPS standalone app that uses the accelerometer and GPS positioning found in the latest iPhones and iPod Touches, leaving the need for a separate sensor obsolete.

The app would normally set you back $1.99, which is great value, but for a limited time you can grab it for FREE.

NIKE+ is turning 5! To celebrate five years of providing amazing motivation to runners around the world, the Nike+ GPS App is free for a limited time. Join the party at http://on.fb.me/nikeplus.

Map your runs, track your progress and get the motivation you need to go even further. Hear mid-run cheers every time your friends like or comment on your run status, or outrun them in a game of Nike+ Tag.

- Download it on the go and start running anywhere. With this app in hand, you can track every indoor and outdoor workout easily, without a sensor.

- Record your pace, distance and run route using the iPhone’s GPS and accelerometer technology so you can see your progress over time and push yourself to go even further.

- Celebrate your best runs with fun, motivational messages from Nike’s top athletes.

- Get voice feedback during your run on how you’re doing, or tap the map to see where you are.

- Quickly send each run to Nikeplus.com where you can brag to friends, join challenges, set goals and connect with the rest of the Nike+ community.

- Activate personalized PowerSongs to help you blast past your goals and records.

- Broadcast your accomplishments to the world via Facebook and Twitter.

- Keep a record of your best runs and see if you’ve got what it takes to break them.

- Release 2.2 features now available with localized app language support in Chinese, French, German, Italian, Japanese, Portuguese, and Spanish.

-COMPATIBILITY REQUIREMENTS: The Nike+ GPS App is compatible with iPhone 3GS, iPhone 4 and iPod touch (2nd, 3rd, and 4th generations) running iOS 4.0 or later.

- Some features such as Share Run and Cheer Me On require users to be connected to a wireless network for full functionality. Note that iPod touch does not support GPS functionality. Also, please note that continued use of GPS running in the background can dramatically decrease battery life.

With beautifully smooth graphics and no end of features, this is a must grab whether you run or not.

Ever since the AppStore was released by Apple the main apps that it has included have been games. These games have come from both small name companies to the high end all time greats such as EA. Because of this both the iPhone 4 and the AppStore have both entered this years copy of the Guinness Book Of Records ‘Gamers Edition’.

The iPhone 4 has been entered due to its selling power and has won the title Fastest-Selling Portable Gaming System.

The iPhone 4 managed to sell 1.5 million units on the day of release compared to Sony’s 200,000 sales of its PSP (eat that Sony).

The AppStore has entered for 3 different reason and has won the following titles:

Largest Launch Line-up of Any Gaming System – When the AppStore was launched over 500 apps were available, with 145 of those being games. Once again the numbers out weighs Sony’s PS3 launch of just 30 gaming titles being available on launch day.

Largest Downloadable Video Game Store – Apple has over 37,000 games available in the AppStore, numbers that smash the Xbox Live’s Arcades numbers of 13,000 and the Wii’s 600 titles available for download.

and the final title is….

Top Paid-For App Store Game in Most Countries – Angry Birds has managed to be the top selling game in 67 countries and has a massive 6.5 million copies downloaded from the AppStore.

Now who thinks that Apple should enter the gaming market with their own true gaming console? With numbers like that they are sure to produce something amazing.

A recent survey conducted by Ericsson  shows that 35% of iPhone and Android users launch and app on their devices before they even get out of bed.

The survey covered Japan, Europe and the USA.

Now I know that the first thing I do when I wake up is launch my Banking App, check Twitter and FaceBook and then my RSS feeds, and thats all in the first 10 minutes of the day.

Now its not surprising that 35% of users do the say as I do especially with some of the great apps there are on the market designed to make our lives easier, and with the App market set be worth $27 Billion by 2013, these small yet powerful pieces of software are becoming more and more important to us.

Also with more and more people and companies using social networking sites its one of the quickest ways to catch up with friends and the latest news stories.

Let us know in the comments below if you reach for your iPhone as soon as you wake, and what apps are you checking.

Xcode 4 is the program used to build MAC and iOS Apps.

Previously Xcode has only been available to people that signed up to the developer program, but it is now available to all for £2.99 ($4.99) from the Mac App Store.

Xcode 4 will allow you to play around with building Mac and iOS apps, but will not allow you to test them on your device or publish them to the relevant stores until you buy into the developer program.

The developer program costs £59 ($99) per year, if you wish to share your apps with the rest of the world.

Xcode 4 is the new version of Apple’s powerful integrated development environment for creating great apps for Mac, iPhone, and iPad. Xcode 4 includes the Xcode IDE, Instruments, iOS Simulator, and the latest Mac OS X and iOS SDKs.

Xcode 4 has a streamlined new interface that integrates UI design, coding, testing, and debugging, all within a single window. The embedded Apple LLVM compiler underlines coding mistakes as you type, and is even smart enough to fix the problems for you automatically.

So will you be heading over to the Mac App store and grabbing Xcode 4?

DanZimm and InfectionFX have been working on a tweak that will allow your stock maps app to give you voice turn by turn directions.

This will be a great tweak once released as this is what every mapping application needs.

There is not much more info available about the tweak at the moment, but when there is we will be the first to bring it to you.

Here is a little YouTube vid on the tweak..

Click here to view the embedded video.

Let us know what you think in the comments below.

I then came to the conclusion that maybe I don’t need an iPhone, lets be honest they are expensive and most of us update every year. So the question is, why do we own iPhones? And, are we addicted to our iPhones?

Personally I never saw the need to buy an iPhone, I was happy enough with my Samsung D600 and my iPod nano, then when I received an iPhone for christmas, everything changed. I felt that I had to have the new model every year. Most of us use iPhones for calling, texting and social networking. However it has now become an addiction to use our iPhones constantly, its the same old joke one person takes their iPhone out everyone else does. Everywhere I look I see iPhones!!!

So are we addicted to iPhones?
We use iPhones all the time, they are possibly the best product in the last 5 years, they allow us to use them as general phones as well as gaming, surfing and reading. We can do most things on our iPhones!!! It seems to be a common trend, when someone has a go on an iPhone they desire one. As the word spreads millions of people become “Addicted.”

In fact “Addicted” is the wrong word, we just use them excessively. They are the perfect gadget for anyone and they help us out wherever we are. But many would argue it isnt the iPhones its the Apps!!

So maybe the question is are we addicted to Apps?

Okay! Moved most of Cydia’s site to the new database/index, and the first new feature using it is online: a “what do I already own” list. ;P

He has managed to create a new feature in Cydia that allows you to see all the apps and tweaks that you have purchased.

You sign into the Manage Account feature the same way that you would sign in to purchase an app, by using either your FaceBook or Google login.

Once you are logged in you will be able to view all your packages that you have purchased through Cydia.

Now you may not see everything that you have ever bought and this may because some packages are no longer on Cydia. Also you will not see packages that you have downloaded and then purchased a license through the app itself, Saurik has no way of knowing that you have done this.

You may also need to attach your Rock account to Cydia to see these apps on the ‘Bought List’.

Below are some screen shots of how the new feature looks..

This is a great new feature that Cydia is offering as we all know that we purchase and install themes, apps and tweaks and then we remove them to make room for more. This way we will always know what we have bought and then can re-download them if we feel like it.

There is only 2 more things to say and that is please make sure you sign into Cydia with the right details so see all your purchases and the other is thanks to Saurik for this great feature.

It is amazing to look back and say that on October 20th 2010 Apple confirmed they had sold Seven billion!!! Now just under 4 months on Apple are celebrating almost TEN BILLION APPS!!! (that looks a little like this 10,000,000,000!!)

Apple are counting down this one off event by giving away a $10,000 itunes card to the lucky person who buys the 10,000,000,000th App!! It could be you !!

Congratulations Apple on this stunning achievement, and good luck to you all.

5.iMovie
If you were to buy a Mac today, along with the Mac you also would receive the latest version of iMovie already installed, however there are a thousands of people who wont have updated. Well now with the Mac store you are able to purchase iMovie separately for £8.99. I use iMovie frequently for studying aspects, and i can the clear advantages of the new update. You can now edit easily, playback easily and even control your timeline quicker and easily. The App also comes with custom themes to make it that much quicker to create a Movie trailer or even a youtube video. I would encourage everyone who uses iMovie to update, and even those of you who don’t use it. Its cheap and its a simple way to make videos for all occasions.

4.Pages
For all you people that aren’t keen on Microsoft office, Apple have a alternative, Pages. With pages you can do all your work simply and effectively. So why is this not number one ? Pages is currently 09 so personally i feel we will get an update, this will make working on your mac just as effective as Microsoft office. Many say that because it wasn’t updated with iLife that an update isn’t on its way. Well if that is the case then 09 is create programme and certainly beats Microsoft office when it comes to price. Pages 09 is currently in the App store for £11.99.

3.Twitter
I use twitter all the time, on my phone,mac and windows, i found that TweetDeck was a great App for all three. However with Twitter arriving in the Mac app store i couldn’t change quick enough. The app is quick, efficient and easy to use. One thing i do like about the App, is one its FREE and two it keeps everything you need together, pictures and videos load up quickly and links pop up instantly. I would encourage anyone to download the new App

2. Angry Birds
If you guys are like me and you are addicted to Angry Birds, you must buy the Mac version. Playing Angry birds on a bigger screen is just amazing, i thank Rovio Mobile. The app is quick and sharp, i couldn’t be more addicted and for the price of £2.99 its a must

1.Caffeine
Caffeine has been around for a long time, now its the Mac store! The application lets you keep your screen fully lit for a period that suits you. This is great when watching movies. Many say why not just change the hibernation settings, well that can effect your battery and because its Free its the perfect application.. So next time your screen dims give it some caffeine and you will watch your movie in complete control.

Miss something out ? Whats you favourite App?

As most of you may have heard recently, there has been yet a new development in the constantly evolving world of the iCommunity in regards to finally having an untethered jailbreak. Now, to clarify for those of you who may not know the proper terminology, a tethered jailbreak is when your jailbreak your decive, but have to deal with the inconvenience of being near a computer at all times because if your device powers off for whatever reason – i.e. the battery runs out, or if you install a Cydia application that requires it to restart – then you have to connect your iDevice to the computer via USB and re-run redsn0w to “just boot tethered”. And as is self explanatory, an untethered jailbreak is when you can restart whenever you want without that inconvenience, and do not need to be near a computer.

Well, for months now, @Musclenerd has been hinting that @comex, the person who brought you such untethered jailbreaks as www.JailbreakMe.com and the Spirit jailbreak, was going to be releasing a new tool (or an update of a previous tool) that would allow you to have the ability to jailbreak fully by means of an untethered exploit. This is how it all went down:

An Italian website dedicated to iDevices contacted @comex at what seems like a valid e-Mail address that he had posted previously to other members on Twitter who had wanted a more direct method of contacting him. You can read the entire content of the e-Mail below in the photo, but the basic gyst is that they asked him if he was releasing his tool now, or if he was waiting for iOS 4.3 (or 4.2.2) to drop. His response was both good news and bad news simultaneously.

As you can see, while it is good news that this tool utilizing this exploit WILL absolutely be released, it is bad news to those of us like myself who are still running iOS 4.0.1 or iOS 4.1 due to the inability to have an untethered jailbreak. As much as I would like to upgrade immediately, my job does not allow due to me absolutely requiring a reliable cellular device, so unfortunately I must wait for the next revision of iOS to drop. Most of this information has been gathered from my own observations, with images and full details coming from www.redmondpie.com and @comex himself on Twitter. When I had previously attempted to contact @comex directly to see if he would be willing to comment, I hadn’t received any response at the time of publication. If that response comes, check back here for updates!

What are your thoughts on this? Are you happy or sad about this update? Sound off in the comments below.

You can now call Skype desktop users using the new video calling function, although this isn’t very clear on the changelog.

A receive only video function has been added for iPad and iPod Touch 3rd Gen with no cameras. All video calls can now be made in portrait and landscape.

These video calls may be made over wifi or 3G which gives Skype the edge over FaceTime.

Test it out and post your findings for quality in the comments below!

Both product teams created the only applications to actually save battery life on iPhones. By providing you with the ability to shut off your 3G/WiFi/Bluetooth radios automatically when your phone is locked. When you unlock your phone they come back on again. You still receive phone calls and data while your phone is locked and you can force the phone to use 3G for any app, i.e. Pandora or Hulu Plus.

There appears to be merit to both sides’ attacks. Auto3G was released first, and in fact was the first to market of actual battery management applications. Auto3G is at a mature 2.2.1 release version and has over 21,000 downloads of its SBSettings toggle as of the writing of this article. If you Google Auto3g you will find a myriad of articles, posts, raves and rants about the product – certainly signs of a mature following.

iControl on the other hand, has only 7,000 downloads of its SBSettings toggle and has far fewer hits on Google. It does however have, as promised, an enhanced feature set that is not present in Auto3G. In addition to Auto3G’s features, iControl allows users to control the state of WiFi and Bluetooth radios. It’s also a buck cheaper at $4.99 as opposed to Auto3G’s $5.99 price tag.

So what to make of this? Which is the superior product? It all depends on what you’re looking for. Auto3G has a more refined experience – the thing just works all the time every time with no hassle. iControl has the occasional hiccup but possesses many more features. Both of these applications have been shown to increase battery life by up to 100%. If you require one of the specific iControl features it’s probably worth it to you to use iControl despite its relative immaturity, otherwise Auto3G is our favorite.

A huge thanks to Julia Weiss for sending in this great article. Maybe we shall see some more from her in the future….

Please be aware that these are not in any particular order and no themes will be mentioned as there are millions of them.

So here goes nothing…

WinterBoard

Price: Free

Developer: Saurik

Winterboard is the app that allows you to theme your iPhone. This app was developed by Saurik (Jay Freeman – maker of Cydia) to take the place of SummerBoard once OS 2.0 was released.

iFile

Price: $4.00

Developer: Carsten Heinelt

iFile is an app that lets you manage all the files on your idevice. It will allow you access to your iPhone under user root. It will allow you to edit, delete, move, and create folders on your device.

iFile will even let you send files to others via email. A Great App if you are into modifying theme files on the fly.

LockInfo

Price: $7.99

Developer: Stimpy5050

LockInfo enables your Lock Screen to become more organised. It should have been a feature from the offset on the iPhone and a would be busy persons dream.

It always you to see emails, messages, weather, appointments, missed calls and todo lists all on the lockscreen of your device. I have to say that this is a great app and defo keeps me well organised.

There are loads of extra pluggins you can get for LockInfo that allows you to see stuff like your RSS and Twitter feeds.

Navigate From Maps

Price: $1.99

Developer: Malcolm Hall

Navigate from Maps is another great feature that should have been stock on the iPhone. It allows you to search for a location in the stock maps app and then with the touch of a button it will send you straight to the TomTom or Navigon (you need to have these installed) and give you turn-by-turn directions straight to that place.

3G Unrestrictor

Price: $3.99

Developer: Kim Streich

3G Unrestrictor is possible one of the best tweaks that there is in the Cydia store. It allows your to use apps that locked to just using WiFi. This little beauty allows you to now download apps that are over 10Mb in the App Store and also make FaceTime Calls over 3G. Like I said possibly one of the best tweaks there is.

ScollingBoard

Price: $1.49

Developer: Limneos

ScrollingBoard is in fact 2 tweaks in 1. Firstly is allows you to have a scrollable dock, enabling you to have as many apps on your dock as you like. Secondly it gives you scrollable folders. This allows you to have as many apps in your folders as you like.

The best thing about this tweak is that it is half the price as some other well known tweaks that do the same thing.

SBRotator 4

Price: $1.99

Developer: Limneos

SBRotator  is another tweak that  had people waiting a long time for. It came out earlier this year and has only got better from there. Version 4 is a much cleaner code and works excellently on the iPhone 4. It enables you to use your springboard in landscape mode. Not only does it do that but it also rotates apps such as YouTube and Phone. This tweak also adds the iPod controls tot he left of the dock.

This tweak works excellently with ScrollingBoard.

PlayAwake

Price: $1.99

Developer: Hanene Samara

PlayAwake is a great app that makes the Alarm Clock app a million times better. PlayAwake allows you to use songs and podcasts straight from your iPod app as your alarm. Apple why oh why did you not do this.

FastSnap

Price: $0.99

Developer: FastSnap

We all love to take pictures with our iPhones and now iPod touches, but the button to take the snap just isn’t in that great of a place for easy. Well FastSnap is the perfect answer.

FastSnap will turn your volume buttons into the shutter switch. Arhhh thats better I hear you say.

Activator

Price: Free

Developer: Ryan Petrich

Activator is also one of the best tweaks to come the the iDevices. Basically it allows you to use gestures to launch other applications. Loads of new tweaks such as SBSettings, qTweeter, Multicleaner now use Activator to launch.

Once again Apple could learn something from this.

MultiCleaner

Price: $0.99

Developer: Petcu Marius

There are loads of tweaks in Cydia that all do this, but this is the one that I think does it the best. MultiCleaner removes the apps from the mutlitasking bar that no longer need to be there such as apps that do not use mutlitasking but still leave their icon there. MultiCleaner also complete all closes applications using the Activator Method. The app can also allow certain applications not to close at all.

PhoneCloser

Price: Free

Developer: Eimji

Once again Apple pay attention. PhoneCloser basically closes the phone application after you have hung up from receiving or making a call. It will also automatically remove the phone app from the multitasking bar.

MyWi 4.0

Price: $19:99

Developer: Intelliborn

Yep it does have a high price tag, but if you in need of a WiFi hotspot wherever you are then this is the App for you.

MyWi 4.0 basically turns your iPhone into a portable hotspot, allowing you to connect your iPad or laptop to the internet at any time. The App uses your data so make sure you have a decent or unlimited data package before you start running it.

SBSettings

Price: Free

Developer: BigBoss

This a a great tweak that lives up in your status bar. The a gesture using Activator that you have a bunch of toggle switches that make life easier for you. With this tweak you no longer have to go into the stock settings app to turn of things such as WiFi, Airplane mode or data.

A great thing about this tweak is that there are loads of pluggins for it in Cydia.

iBlacklist

Price: $12.00

Developer: Spektro & hdsq2

iBlacklist is a great app to block unwanted calls and SMS. The App allows to to select people from your contacts list that you either do you do not wish to communicate with.

The App will hold a log of all the things that have been blocked. The App can either send the calls straight to voicemail or give the caller and engaged tone. This is a great App if you hate people that ring you that block their number (pesky sales people).

biteSMS

Price: Free

Developer: biteSMS

biteSMS replaces the stock SMS app, but brings loads of great features. biteSMS allows things like quick reply so that you can reply to a sms from inside of a different app, signatures and quick compose to you can send a quick sms from inside an app.

biteSMS is the way the SMS app should have been.

OpenSSH

Price: Free

Developer: Saurik

OpenSSH is a themers dream. It allows you to access your iDevice from a Pc or MAC. It gains access to the device right down at the root menu. This is a great tool for editing and creating themes and folders.

So thats the Best Apps in Cydia (well I’m sure its not all of them) I have to say I use most of these app / tweaks everyday and would like to thank all the developers involved. Each one of these makes the iPhone a little better and brings the whole user experience a little closer to perfect.

If you think of any more apps that should be on the list leave a comment below and also a brief description of it.

Now head over to Cydia and get downloading…

Well once again Steve’o Jobs is doing the giving and us lucky little people will be on the receiving end.

2010 once again sees the return of the iTune’s 12 Days of Christmas App.

2009 bought us free gifts from the app such as the Film ‘ Lesbian Vampire Killers’, games like ‘Trivia Pursuit’ and a number of free songs.

So hopefully this year will not be any different, 2010 has bought us a number of excellent App’s, Songs and Films so there is a lot we may see for free.

The App officially kicks in on 26th December and runs for 12 Days (Hence the title) until the 6th January 2011.

Each free download only lasts for 24 hours, but don’t worry on missing any free gifts because the App comes complete with Push Notifications.

So head over to the App Store now and grab it – 12 Days of Christmas

P.s You have less than 12 days till the free gifts start flowing.

On a happier note, it looks like we are going to be seeing an SD card slot. At the bottom, one of the open slots suggests the possibility of an SD card. This would definitely be nice, it will make sorting out media much easier and allow for easier sharing. Unfortunately we aren’t seeing any possibility of a USB option. For now we are going to have to wait and see. As always MGiP will keep you updated.

Just a few things to keep in mind when creating themes; don’t always over-do it. Sometimes even combining two themes in Cydia can do the trick. Many themes in Cydia are phenomenal, others look like someone slapped on a few random images and wanted to say that they uploaded a package to Cydia. If you’ve downloaded themes like Alit, Smoog, Elite/Epic Pro etc. you’ll notice that they are true themes. Everything comes together. Nothing looks out of place. Since you may not like one thing in a theme, change it out with something from another. You don’t have to use the ideas below!

A key concept in creating your Winterboard theme is consistency with colors. You won’t want random colors that don’t mix and match. Many times when I make a theme for someone I’ll ask, “What colors do you like?” This lets me have a consistent color scheme throughout. For packages involving colors open Cydia and search “UI Popup Colors” “Loader Colors” “Battery Color Themes” and “Slide to Unlock Text Colors”. You could also choose another Battery theme if you like!

Now that you’ve mixed and matched your UI to your liking pick wallpaper and a lockscreen. My advice is to go with literally whatever you like. Leather, water, space, cars, roads, abstract, you like it, download it. A good app for downloading wallpapers and screenshots is Backgrounds; it’s free in the App Store!

Now its time for the nitty gritty. Picking Icons for a theme is often the hardest part. My advice to you again is to pick something you like, or an icon set that you think compliments your background. Personally, I like the stock icon set. I think its good enough for me, and they seem to go with any wallpaper I choose. Keep in mind that you will need an icon overlay set. The overlay set is no longer in the UIImages folder, now it is in the bundles folder under com.apple.mobileicons.framework.

Now is when you can start changing Apple/Cydia apps and games. This isn’t necessarily tricky (if you have AppLinks <-- Search in Cydia if you don't) but it can be pointless. Often the best thing to do, if anything, is to change the loader screen or the framework. If I do something like this 9 out of 10 times I take my background and use GIMP (a free Photoshop <--GOOGLE IT! YOU WONT REGRET IT!) to slap the word "Loading..." on it or just get a different background image.

If you’re stuck on what to put into your theme let me take you through mine!

I'm pretty simplistic when it comes to Winterboard. When I was a beginner I wanted to change literally everything. Through time I figured out that it wasn’t exactly the best thing. Beginning with the lockscreen I found that I wasn't a fan of the stock battery. To me, there are few things that beat an ice cold Coke-a-Cola, so I chose a Coke-a-Cola battery. It’s different, and it’s just something to chuckle at when I charge my iPod. I also didn’t like the fact that I had to "slide to unlock". So I downloaded a few tap to unlock packages from Cydia and rolled with those.

For my lockscreen I chose something a little darker to make it sleeker. The lockscreen is also my wallpaper but I’ll change them every once in a while, sometimes they are the same, other times they are different, just depends how I’m feeling.

I kept the stock icons because I tend to like them the best. There are times where ill pull out the iLLumine set or the MP2 set if I want them to be a little smaller. One thing I like is a one page theme. Thanks to FolderEnhancer all my apps and games are in Folders on my homepage. The default Apple icons are kept in their default layout for ease of access while everything else is in folders. I also got rid of the search page indicator and the page indicators. I won’t need them if I have a one page theme. Finally, I use the “transform to iPod” theme to combine my videos and music into one app so that I could stick Skyfire next to Safari.

So that’s it for my theme. All the tweaks and things from Cydia tend to be what I need more. Using Winterboard is just for fun. For Cydia tweaks be sure to browse around our site or visit our YouTube channel! Happy theming!

*MyGreatiPhone does not condone the unauthorised use/upload of copyright material for financial gain or otherwise. The themes shown in this article are for personal use only. Permission should be gained from the respective developers before uploading themes to Cydia, or make your own using the tools available.*

Remove Recents is a great new free tweak that can be found on the BigBoss repo that removes any app that does not need to be kept open in the multitasking bar. So this would be any app that does not natively use backgrounding or the Backrounder app in Cydia. Basically it properly closes any app that isn’t built for ios4.

I have to say a big thank you to @Jima6636 for bringing this tweak to my attention, I love this kind of simple app / tweak that you don’t have to do anything with it just does it itself.

Now when I double press my home button all I see is apps that should be left open and not apps that I may have just opened recently.

There is one down side to this app and I don’t know if it just me but it has affected music playback through my car stereo, I now can not do certain things with the stereo that I have been able to do before, such as set it to play randomly or skip tracks.

I’ll investigate that problem further and it would be great if you would let me know if you have the same problem in the comments below.

All in all this is a favourite tweak of mine and if the iPod playback gets sorted then that would give it a five star rating.

This may not seem a major break through but if you think that this has only happened in the last 18 months that is some going from iPhone users round the world. (That’s about 142 per person given that Apple have sold about 21 million iPhones since July 2007. Based on Apple selling 6.5 million units per quarter at the end of 2009) .

In an interview with the main man himself; Steve Jobs said:

This is like nothing we’ve ever seen before. The revolutionary App Store offers iPhone and iPod Touch users an experience unlike anything else available on other mobile devices, and we see no signs of the competition catching up anytime soon.

Other companies have also tried to launch App Store’s such as RIM (Blackberry), Palm and Android but none of them have anywhere near as many apps on offer as the Apple App Store. Palm have only 1000 Apps (1% of Apple App Store) and Android have between 15,000 and 20,000 Apps. (20% of Apple App Store) Apple are boasting a hefty 100,000 Apps available for us to choose from.

This week Apple has released a new app in the App Store called “12 Days”. “12 Days” is an app that allows you to download a free gift from iTunes every day between 26th Dec 09 – 6th Jan 10 direct to you .

For the app to work you will have to install it on your iPhone and also enable Push Notifications.

The app will alert you in the normal notifications way when a new free gift is available and will also allow you to recommend the gift to friends via Facebook.

As a little extra advertising for Apple “12 Days” also recommends for content that you might wish to download (paid or free).

Free gifts can range from Music, TV Shows, Apps and Movies.

So roll on December 26th to see what iTunes has to offer us.

The new version of the Tom Tom iPhone app also includes text-to-speech for UK English (amongst other languages), updated maps, a larger number of points of interest and new advanced lane guidance.

The Tom Tom car kit has a built-in GPS module, integrated speaker and line out. However, it’s not vital if you stick the TomTom iPhone app on an iPhone 3G or iPhone 3GS.

This may help TomTom out alot in the ratings stakes against other navigation apps as this is the only GPS app out compatible with the iPhone 1st Gen and the iPod Touch.

The ads now show 6 apps instead of the companies normal 3 per advert. The adds now state that there are over 75000 apps in the store.