Ah the good old days! However as time has progressed so has the iPhone, with many applications now available to sync contacts with other users. Now we have a new one.

The application called Swip allows you to swap contacts between iPhones AND other devices. It was created to be a simple yet efficient way of transferring contact information from your device. All this can be done through Bluetooth, Wifi or even using email and the vCard format. The application gives you a lot more control over what you send.  It uses WYSIWYG (What You See Is What You Get) interface, so you can see exactly what information you are sending.

Swip also has a lovely meeting feature, enabling users to send information to many devices instead of one at a time. The interface is spot on allowing you to navigate select and send contacts with ease. It reduces time and is a vital application for anyone who needs to swap contacts regularly. For privacy nuts there is an option to PIN protect the data you are sending, so users without the PIN can’t receive the information.

Swapping can be time and location stamped but this is to the users discretion, when enabled it will add the information to the swap. Just as the iPhone does when taking a picture and attaching a time and location stamp on the picture. This allows you to build up a map of where swaps have taken place and at what times.

It isn’t just for phones! Swip even allows you to transfer information to programs like Microsoft Outlook using your vCard formatted contacts, when used on the iPhone with OS 3.0 or above it also allows you to send multiple contacts and view them before sending them. Editing or removing any information that you do not wish to send.

Private registration on the website will also allow you to login, track and analyse all the swapping you have been doing. Not to mention that the application is also compatible with some social networking sites. It has the ability to send tweets and post the contact information on sites such as Twitter, FriendFeed and Shizzow.

All this rolled into one neat easy to use and very efficient application. Swapping contact details has always been a bit dreary on the iPhone. The Bump app was a nice way of doing things but really lacked the funtionality that Swip comes with. And best of all it’s FREE!

Check it out on iTunes

Every service in one App

The people at Meebo have now released an app for iPhone users, tagged as “the one app to rule them all”,  there are some very nice features integrated into Meebo. First and foremost is the support for many services, support for Landscape Mode and the application not only records your chat history but lets you search through it at any time!

Read more at -

http://www.macrumors.com/iphone/2010/02/15/meebo-brings-dedicated-app-to-iphone/

No Breasts here!

It’s not only the one app developer that has been hit, another developer has also had a book removed from the App store named Invisible Girl, but the developer also pointed out that the book contains no sexual or inappropriate content.

Apple have been considering this move for a few weeks now. We are seeing more and more adult based apps being removed from the App store. Be it from user complaints or Apple’s own investigations. It may be doing damage to some developers who have invested time in these applications, since we already know the adult business is a very big one! Keeping that in mind most of the applications that are being remvoved from the App store are not as explicit as you might imagine; they are more like applications made for a little bit of fun and mischief.

Most of the applications with adult based content are being removed from Apple’s database slowly but surely. In a recent statement Phil Schiller (Apple’s head of worldwide marketing) aknowledged that content is being removed from the App store but also said that Apple have received a number of complaints from women who say that the content is degrading on some sexual apps. Parents have also complained about the fact that their kids have access to these applications with a couple of clicks from the mouse and are not happy with the content that is obtainable. This seems ironic, given that most iPhone users are somewhat tech savvy, and with minimal effort could find a plethora of explicit content with the iPhone’s inbuilt internet browser.

Safari: the next 'Adult content' app to go?

When questioned about the effect on developers, he did say quote that “[Apple] obviously care about developers, but in the end have to put the needs of the kids and parents first”. Information also suggests that the iPad’s potential use in schools, with children and families may also mean that there has to be a crackdown on adult content.

This content filtering has already removed many adult based applications from the App store, however it has also removed many games etc. that have no adult material, say the developers. The rumours about content removal started floating around last week. And Apple have been removing content slowly but surely at a steady rate. Statistics from Appshopper.com show that on average Apple remove 100 applications per day. But on 17th Feb this number shot up to over 900 applications! If that wasn’t drastic on 18th Feb nearly 4000 applications were removed from the App store!

A little note, Playboy still seem to have their application available. Perhaps this means that an adult category will be introduced?

Mini.... But Powerful!

Just like previous versions of Opera for mobile devices all web pages are routed through Opera servers and adjusted for mobile browsing, not only does this make your browsing experience on your mobile device FAST, it also spares your internet usage allowance due to the web content already having been made mobile friendly.

Read the full story at -

http://www.engadget.com/2010/02/17/opera-mini-on-iphone-is-fast-but-why/

He tried stealing my iPhone!

Not only does Apple’s little device support a plethora of applications: Satellite Navigation, Fitness and Office Tools to name a few. For £5.99 you can now play Grand Theft Auto on it! All from the comfort of your phone. No court cases and an unlimited set of lives, so what are you waiting for? Get the guns out and have some fun.

The game is exactly the same as the versions released for the Nintendo DS and Sony PSP. After purchasing the game the first thing that struck me was the size, 186 MB! That could only mean good news.

The graphics are surprisingly crisp for a game of this calibre on such a small device. The first major difference is the camera angle; it has been reverted back to the classic birds-eye view.

The 3D carnage is still in the game, just viewed from above this time

The controls are a little bit of a fiddle but only because of the size of the iPhone’s screen. It can be a little frustrating when trying to maneuver in a tight space or when trying to fire at multiple targets. Being a touch screen phone can have disadvantages, it gets especially annoying when involved in a shoot-out or car chase. But this is a small price to pay for being able to play GTA on your iPhone. After a while of playing the slightly dodgy controls will be forgotten as police and others chase you!

Owners of the DS will remember the little side games included, such as hot-wiring a car. These have now been implemented into the iPhone version. As well as having all the other side-quests (Fire, Police, Taxi Missions). It seems that they have picked the best from the PSP and the DS versions, and then ported it over to the iPhone.

But by far the best feature in my opinion is the ability to play songs from the iPod whilst you play the game! All you have to do is set up a play list with the songs you wish to listen to and then add it to the Independence Radio Station in-game.

Anybody remember Dope Wars? Released for all types of phones, it was a small game that centered on the user being a drug dealer. Flying to different locations to buy “goods” and then selling them in other locations for profit. It was a very popular game, and a similar thing is included in GTA. You can meet different dealers and do business with them!

All in all for the price this game is an absolute gem, GTA fans will love the little portable version. Giving endless hours of fun even after you have completed all the missions in the story mode. The game is absolutely massive, it completed smashed my expectations. It may have its odd problems, but for something on your phone it’s definitely a 9/10!

Check it out on iTunes –

This shot shows the slight differences in the new faceplate

We can’t really be sure if these pictures are legitimate or not. Coming up to the release of any Apple product there is always lots of speculation, and plenty of bogus pictures posted on the net. However repair companies usually have their facts the correct way round.

Read more at -

http://www.neowin.net/news/4th-generation-iphone-pictures-leak

Read the full story at -

http://www.reuters.com/article/idUSTRE60P31Y20100126

However it looks like Mr Jobs (Steve Jobs – Apple’s CEO) had a completely different surprise in store for everyone! Yes that’s right the iPad, a bigger faster iPhone without the phone part! Apple’s very own tablet, fully touch screen and from what I’ve seen so far absolutely gorgeous. But let’s save the dirty details on that for a separate post.

iDelay OS 4.0?

As sleek, sexy and fashionable as the iPad looks, we still haven’t forgotten about OS 4.0 and the improvements we were all looking forward to, here is a list of what many have speculated is to come in the software update:

1. Multitasking – By far the most important for most of us. Enabling the phone to run more than one application at a time, has made modern computing what it is. I can remember getting my 1st generation iPhone and instantly reading thousands of reviews online asking for multitasking.

An obvious example of this process is quitting any game on the iPhone, the option to resume is there however the application in question needs to be restarted. At the moment applications try to mutitask through push notifications. Multitasking will enable the user to switch from one active application to another one whilst in the meantime keeping the first application active.

Many users have been screaming for this option over the successful years the iPhone has had. But is it a feature that should have been there long ago? Hmmm anybody remember Copy and Paste? How long did that take!

2. Multi-touch gestures OS-Wide – One of the things that enabled the iPhone to absolutely destroy its competition was its multi-touch capabilities. A good example would be one of the many guitar apps available via the Apple Store, allowing the reproduction of notes but also the ability to play 5 strings at one time.
Apple are now moving to incorporate these kinds of functions into the Operating System. Another already implemented version is the ability to zoom in and out of images using two fingers. After yesterdays iPad “birth” it looks like this is something that we will definitely be getting.

3. Graphical and UI changes – A little clean up around the home area intended to make navigating around your phone easier and more effective. Probably nothing massive, small tweaks here and there perhaps a little change to the layout of some the screens. Nothing to write home about.

4. Syncing – Very little information regarding this, but apparently there will be a new way to sync the contacts and calendar applications. Let’s hope it means saving contacts and transferring the information between phone and computer is finally easier, instead of having to back up the whole phone every time it is connected.

5. Updates only for 3G & 3GS – Ouch! Sorry iPhone 2G owners, the updates are supposedly only coming to the faster newer models. Perhaps because the old iPhone doesn’t have the figures to be able to multi-task efficiently, when compared to it’s faster brothers. Knowing Apple, this is probably true as most of the 2G owners missed out on the MMS addition. Which can still be switched on if you have a sneaky Jailbroken iPhone 2G and Cydia.

All in all it’s been an interesting week, the iPad has been released (can’t wait to get my hands on one). But so far no mention of the updates that we have all been waiting for!

Here’s our pick of 5 unique uses for your iPhone, in no particular order:

Use your phone as a security camera

It’s actually possible to set your phone up as a CCTV camera, protecting your room/car/office while you are away. If you always wondered who was stealing your M&Ms, now you can find out!

Control iTunes over your WiFi

Save money on fancy HiFi remotes, and simply play your favorite tracks on your computer, and control it with your iPhone! You’ll need a home WiFi network (who doesn’t these days?) and it’s a simple case of pairing your phone with iTunes. Now there’s no need to get out of your comfy seat to change up the music.

Measure the performance of your car, including 0-60 times

If you ever wanted some performance figures to impress/bore your friends with, now you can take measurements with your iPhone. BMW have released a free app called the “M power meter” that uses the iPhone’s accelerometer, and can measure and display 0-60 times, acceleration, G forces etc. All the numbers a petrolhead could dream of!

Reading eBooks, without an expensive eBook reader like the Kindle

The iPhone’s high resolution screen makes it suitable for reading long documents, and books, without too much eye strain. Stanza is a free application that makes it easy to download eBooks onto your phone from a vast collection, and read them using book-like gestures (e.g. turning the page with a side flick of the finger). You can even convert books from other formats that you have, e.g. PDF, and download them to your phone. Very neat.

Keep fit by using your iPhone as a pedometer

It didn’t take long for application developers to realise one of the simplest uses for the accelerometer built into the iPhone: tracking steps, in the same way a clip-on pedometer does. Making sure you take at just 6000 steps a day has been correlated with better health, so get going and install one of these simple pedometer applications on your phone now!

This news was tweeted out by Joe Hewitt, the developer of the application.

Joe Hewitt, Developer of the Facebook App for the iPhone

He also spoke about software bugs having been fixed in the latest avatar of the application.

via InsideFacebook.com