Geodelic [Free - iTunes link] is a location-based discovery app for the iPhone that knows where you are and uses that information to recommend points-of-interest such as restaurants, stores, and shows.

I had the pleasure of watching their show-stealing presentation at CES 2010’s Mobile Apps Showdown last week, and based on the amount of energy and creativity they put into that alone, I’m really eager to try this out and see how it develops.

If you are as well, grab the free download and let us know how it works for you!

This is a story by the iPhone Blog. This feed is sponsored by The iPhone Blog Store.

Geodelic Location-based Discovery for iPhone

Batten down your contacts and defend your profile pics, because Facebook 3.1.2 for iPhone and iPod touch is here and it purports to fix those bugs that have been ailing ya:

• Fixes some crashes
• Fix a bug causing incorrect matches in address book sync
• Fix a bug causing incorrect matches for contacts with the same name

Here’s hoping that what has been, prior to 3.1, one of the best social networking apps on any platform, is back on track and ready rock.

Download it, try it out, let us know if it works!

This is a story by the iPhone Blog. This feed is sponsored by The iPhone Blog Store.

Facebook 3.1.2 for iPhone Brings More Bug Fixes

As if Facebook 3.1 for iPhone and iPod touch didn’t have enough problems, dmackdaddy let us know this potentially embarrassing problem he’s experiencing with the new contact picture syncing functionality:

Beware of your profile pics, or your boss might get one of you doing something you don’t want them to see! What happens is, [Facebook 3.1] takes [all] the emails and phone numbers on your iPhone and sends them to Facebook. It then cross-checks and syncs them back to your iPhone. That’s a major security flaw right there! It should only sync the ones you’re friends with.

So for an example I have my coworker’s email and cell but I am not her Facebook friend. All of a sudden when I got a call from my coworker I saw a picture of her in a bikini because that was her [Facebook] profile pic!

I’m using Outlook 2010 and it has a new feature called Suggested Contacts where it keeps all your emails you been using. Those sync to my iPhone via exchange 2007. So now I have Facebook profile pics in Outlook 2010 for a bunch of folks that I don’t even really know just because I have emailed them.

Given the more casual (read: sometimes drunken and debauched) profile pictures that appear on Facebook, and the potential from cross-contamination between trusted friends and respected colleagues, if this is widespread the potential for embarrassment is high. Even if this is an isolated or semi-isolated incident, as more and more social network contact pools are integrated together, its worth remembering that anything — and everything — you put on the internet will eventually be seen by those people you least want to see it.

Remember, if though Facebook thinks privacy is dead, it may still be important to you and yours. So think twice and practice safe pics!

[Image above is a mockup based on the story -- no real coworkers were embarrassed in the making of this post]

This is a story by the iPhone Blog. This feed is sponsored by The iPhone Blog Store.

Facebook 3.1 Contact Syncing — Got Bikini Pics?

Apple has just released their 5th iPhone and iPod touch app, MobileMe Gallery [Free - iTunes link] The functionality is as simple and elegant as the name suggests, pulling your MobileMe Gallery photos and movies from the cloud and showing them on your device. Sure, you could do this via Safari before, but there’s an app for everything now, right?

UPDATE: Apple has posted the following on their MobileMe News page:

The MobileMe Gallery app provides a great new way to view published photos and movies directly on your iPhone or iPod touch. You can flick left or right to move through photos, pinch to zoom, or rotate your iPhone or iPod touch for a landscape view. The MobileMe Gallery app automatically stores photos you’ve viewed so you can quickly access them again, even without a network connection. And you can easily view friends’ public galleries by selecting them from your iPhone contacts or entering their member name. See how it works in this video.

If you try it out, let us know how it works for you!

[Thanks to @markjboyce for the tip!]

This is a story by the iPhone Blog. This feed is sponsored by The iPhone Blog Store.

Apple Releases MobileMe Gallery App for iPhone, iPod touch

From the Forums is a great way to see what all of the current hot topics are on the TiPb forums. Today we would like to go over some of the popular sub-forums for those of you who may not be familiar with our forum setup. Becoming a member is fast and free, so if you have not already already done so, head on over and register now.

• Yes, Facebook 3.1 is still a hot topic. So has their application gotten any better for you? Let us know!
• Crackberry Kevin has been lurking within our forums in search of some iPhone help. If you could, please visit his thread to lend him a helping hand and you may just win a new device.
• We are all aware of the hype that surrounded the Google/HTC Nexus One Android device and so far… it’s turned out to be nothing but trouble with it’s spotty 3G and disappointing initial sales. Do any of you really still feel this device poses a threat to Apple’s iPhone?

See you on the forums!

This is a story by the iPhone Blog. This feed is sponsored by The iPhone Blog Store.

From the Forums: Facebook 3.1 Issues Continue, Help Crackberry Kevin, Google Nexus One

Today's TiPb Top 5 will be directed towards our iPhone and iPod touch wielding readers who love puzzle games where the goal is to take similarly colored shapes or objects and get them into a group, causing them to be removed from play. Just like our other TiPb top 5 must-have posts, all of these applications are available in the App Store. I’ve always been quite fond (understatement!) of these types of games, and while the variety is endless, the top 5 I currently enjoy can be found after the break!

Bejeweled 2

I used to play Bejeweled on my PalmOS PDA and Bejeweled 2 was one of my first games I got on the iPhone. Simple and fun, it’s a classic and the template for all gem switch games which have followed it. A set of jewels is placed in a grid and you can switch any two jewels horizontally or vertically. If you are able to make a group of three or more matching jewels then your set disappears and all the jewels are refilled from above. The level ends when you have completed your quota of chains or if the timer runs out.

Bejeweled 2 is available for $2.99 [iTunes Link]

Stoneloops! of Jurassica

[Note: Stoneloops was pulled from the iTunes App Store due to a copyright claim. Hopefully it will go through arbitration and be back in the store soon. It's included here because it was so much fun, and so many enjoyed it.]

In Stoneloops, you have a chain of colored stones which move along a track. The object of the game is to shoot additional colored stones into the chain to make a link of three or more. If you can make all of the colored stones disappear before the train gets to the end of the track then you get to go to the next level. There is also another type of play called, grab-n-shoot, where you can take a stone from the moving chain to then re-add it to another location, to make a colored chain.

After you complete a number of levels you are rewarded with an upgrade to your “home”, which matches the theme of the levels. You couldn’t really do anything with the home, and it didn’t affect the game at all, but it was a nice trophy of sorts.

When I first played Stoneloops I played it for so long that I actually got iPhone burn on my index finger (don't laught, I know there are others out there!). If and when we find out it is back up in the App Store we will let you know.

Trism

Trism was one of the first games made specifically for the iPhone to achieve a huge level of success. Gameplay is very similar to Bejeweled but instead of moving the pieces horizontally or vertically the pieces move on diagonals. If you make 3 or more similarly shaped pieces match they disappear and are replaced by other pieces. In a nice touch, the direction you tilt your iPhone is the direction the pieces slide. Trism also has the added feature of achievements that you gain if you have completed a particular challenge like removing a locked or explosive piece.

Trism is available for $2.99 [iTunes Link]

Jewel Quest 2-in-1 Treasure Pack

Jewel Quest 2-in-1 Treasure Pack, as the name suggests, is actually two games for the price of one — Jewel Quest II and Jewel Quest Deluxe ! (It’s also a great technicality that lets me get around the limit of only choosing 5 games!)

Jewel Quest takes the basic Bejeweled concept and adds a twist. Not only do you need to arrange similarly colored jewels but when you do the square beneath that jewels changes colors. You need to change the whole board to another color in order to pass the level.

In Jewel Quest II, you have to turn all the background playing field squared to gold and this occurs each time you make 4 or more of a kind. This increases the difficulty level of the game and makes you have to think ahead in your selections. The game becomes increasingly difficult with each level, introducing more gem types and board shapes. Some gems are even buried and force you to figure out, through trial and error, its matching partners.

Jewel Quest Deluxe is not quite as difficult as Jewel Quest II but has much more variety and more polished graphics. Each level asks you to complete a different task. It may be to collect a number of colored gems or make the whole board turn gold, it may also have you compete against a computer opponent.

Some games have found a way to interweave an interesting storyline into the game, one that not only relates to the puzzles but adds to the playing experience. Well, Jewel Quest is not one of them. The story in this game is pretty much a bunch of words that interrupts the flow of the game. I can however, overlook this small annoyance because the game is so very addicting!

Jewel Quest 2-in-1 Treasure Pack is currently available for a special price $0.99 [iTunes Link]

Puzzle Quest Chapters 1 & 2

While Puzzle Quest still uses a Bejeweled-type of game board, it’s a bit different from the usual puzzle game as it merges RPG and puzzle elements. The story in the game surrounds your character and the puzzle game is the manner in which you battle your opponents. You also can choose different character classes and these will change the kind of powers you get to use in the game. Gold star, Puzzle Quest!

While this is one of my favorite puzzle gem/switch games, I should point out It’s not the best port to the iPhone. It does have some spacing issues, and at times some users haves crashes but it’s so much fun I keep coming back for more.

Puzzle Quest is available for $4.99 [iTunes Link]

Conclusion

There you have it, TiPb's Top 5 Must-Have iPhone puzzle/gem switch games. Did we miss any of your favorites? Overlook any amazing gem-game gems? Drop us a comment and let us know your list!

This is a story by the iPhone Blog. This feed is sponsored by The iPhone Blog Store.

TiPb Top 5 iPhone Puzzle/Gem Switch Games!

AppleInsider brings word of two interesting Apple patents, one involving user interfaces that changed depending on the user’s situation, the other — wait for it — for an iPhone/iTablet stylus.

The stylus patent, credited to John G. Elias, co-founder of multitouch maestros, FingerWorks, involves:

“A metallic or otherwise conductive disk may be attached to one end of the stylus. The disk may be sized so as to guarantee sufficient electrical interaction with at least one sensory element of the touch sensor panel.”

The dynamic multi-model seeks to give the iPhone UI some context sensitivity:

For example, using the device in the car or in the gym could show a different design on the screen. Devices could also be controlled in different fashions when they are docked and less portable, and a different design and input method might make more sense.

Next to your bed at night, in the car when navigating, linked to your home stereo for a party — the possibilities are endlessly intriguing.

As always, just because Apple applies for a patent on something doesn’t mean we’ll ever see it in a consumer product. Still, would you benefit from a stylus? From context-sensitive user interfaces? Let us know!

This is a story by the iPhone Blog. This feed is sponsored by The iPhone Blog Store.

Apple Exploring iPhone/iTablet Stylus and Dynamic Multi-Model User Interfaces — Patent Watch

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Join PreCentral.net’s Dieter, AndroidCentral.com’s Phil, and Rene for iPhone 4, CES roundup, Palm Pre/Pixi Plus, Nexus One, iTablet, and all the week’s news and opinions. Listen in!

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Thanks to the the iPhone Blog Store for sponsoring the podcast, and to everyone who showed up for the live chat!

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• I Called You — iPhone Remix by Pete Leidy
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This is a story by the iPhone Blog. This feed is sponsored by The iPhone Blog Store.

TiPb Presents: iPhone Live! #83 — CES-travaganza

Piracy exists in many different media platforms – movies, music, books, video games and yes, even iPhone applications. Exactly how big is iPhone application piracy to date? According to 24/7 Wall Street, the App Store has lost over $450 million since it’s inception.

It is estimated that for every application sold in the App Store, 3 more are then pirated. Who’s to blame for this? Of course, all of the blame is being put upon the iPhone jailbreakers. While none of us here at TiPb are against the jailbreak process as it’s intended purpose was not related to piracy, we all knew it was simply a matter of time before someone found a way to exploit it for the sole purpose of stealing iPhone applications. This hurts the developers the most as some have reported piracy rates has high as 95%.

To this very day, Apple simply toys with the process or they turn their head the other way. It should be interesting to see if, in the future, Apple helps developers battle jailbreaking similar to how Microsoft helped game developers when they started banning Xbox 360 owners from their Xbox Live service (Online Gaming Community) for playing pirated games while online. The developers cried out to Microsoft for help and they came through the only way that is currently possible. Again, we are not against jailbreaking but something does need to be put in place to help developers fight piracy.

In-app purchases could be part of the solution for some developers, but the model won’t work for everyone. What else can they do? What else should Apple do?

[Via Barrons.com via 24/7 Wall Street]

This is a story by the iPhone Blog. This feed is sponsored by The iPhone Blog Store.

iPhone App Piracy is Out of Control

From the now we’ve heard everything department, an analyst is “predicting” that the 4th generation iPhone’s plastic casing will be multitouch enabled, just like Apple’s new Magic Mouse.

Not “predicted” of course is how it would work, and how it would filter out things like holding the iPhone for normal use vs. deliberately initiating a multitouch gesture on the back of the case.

Again, with Apple anything is possible, but is this desirable? Can you see Apple doing it?

The Palm Pre and Pixi have a multitouch area below the screen to enable consistent gestures for “back” and to bring up the app launcher. Is that preferable?

[Bloomberg via Macrumors]

This is a story by the iPhone Blog. This feed is sponsored by The iPhone Blog Store.

Do You Want the 4th Gen iPhone Case to be Multitouch like Magic Mouse?