Camera+ has thrown together some great comparison photos depicting just how much the iPhone camera has improved over the years.

The comparison photos really speak for themselves, and the difference is especially noticeable with the iPhone 4S photos when compared to older models. They even go on to compare with more expensive DSLR cameras for reference. As expected, from the original iPhone to the latest iPhone 4S model, the camera quality has obviously improved immensely.

Feel free to drop into our iPhone 4S pictures forum for even more evidence of how well the iPhone 4S camera performs.

Source: Camera+

What apps have earned a coveted spot on your main iPhone 4S home screen? Is it still default, just as Apple shipped it? Or have you moved everything around just so, including the dock icons?

Do you organize by function or type of app, or by aesthetics and icon color? Do you allow folders on your home screen or folders in your dock? Do you hide away any built-in apps like Stocks? Do you put your most used apps on the edges or in the center?

Take a screen shot and attach it in our official iPhone 4S home screen forum thread, and let us know why you made the choices you did — we’re always looking for good tips!

Thanks Static_FX for sharing your home screen!

Former Apple iPod and iPhone hardware chief Tony Fadell has come up with a new way to imagine your home thermostat — the Nest Learning Thermostat. It’s a touch-controlled system that makes your home energy needs simple and easy to control remotely via an iPhone or iPad app.

The product is just a programmable thermostat. But the genius of Nest Labs is that it decided to make the iPhone of thermostats–a device that looks cool and is smart enough to spare the owner the frustrations of unfriendly technology.

According to Nest, the thermostat takes roughly a week to pick up on your energy routines and adjusts your temperature accordingly. A display changes colors to red or blue to distinguish between heating and cooling, and the design is very Apple-like. The greatest part about the Nest Learning Thermostat is the iOS app for your iPhone or iPad, letting your remotely adjust Nest’s settings and get all the vital information you need on-the-go.

All-in-all, this looks like a great way to save on energy consumption with the help of your iPhone.

Source: CNet

The IRIS 9000 is a little box with a built-in microphone that sits next to your iPhone 4S and lets you use Siri from across the room, HAL style.

Simply place your iPhone into the Iris 9000 cradle and use the included micro remote to trigger Siri up to 50 feet away. Just tap the Iris 9000 remote button once, listen for the Siri chime, and speak your command. The built in mic on the Iris 9000 picks up your voice from across the room and the embedded speaker amplifies Siri’s spoken responses.

In addition to fine Kubrick, 2001: A Space Odyssey good looks, you can use IRIS to make and receive phone calls with the built-in speakerphone, but the coolest part is the glowing LED eye that flickers when Siri talks to you.

The only problem I can see with this is if there’s anyone else in the room, or any noise going on to get in the way of IRIS picking up your voice. But then again, it can only be attributable to human error, right?

Source: ThinkGeek

For today only, the TiPb Store has the Jawbone ICON Bluetooth headset on sale for only $44.95! — that’s 55% off!. That’s military developed NoiseAssassin technology in four hot styles — get them before they’re gone!

Shop Jawbone ICON Bluetooth headset now!

Batman Arkham City Official Map App is a companion app for the popular Xbox 360 and Playstation 3 game Batman: Arkham City. It features completed maps with the locations of every Riddler Trophy and solutions to every Riddle.

This officially licensed map app for Batman: Arkham City serves as the perfect digital companion to the game. This app features scrollable, zoomable maps for every area in the game, complete with locations of all the Riddler Trophies and solutions to all the Riddler’s Riddles — more than 350 collectibles in all!

• Find every Riddler Trophy for Batman & Catwoman
• Solve every Riddle
• Track your progress as you bag more than 350 collectibles
• Interactive maps for every area in the game

Batman Arkham City Official Map App is available on the iPhone and iPad for $2.99.

[App Store link]

Have an app you’d love to see featured on TiPb? Email us at iosapps@tipb.com, tell us about your app (include an iTunes link), and we’ll take a look.

I run a company that specializes in iOS device repair, web development, and consulting. I rely on my iPhone everyday to not only keep my appointments and consultations straight, but as a tool to manage all aspects of my work life. Every iOS upgrade has made it easier and easier to stay organized. And where iOS fails, many third party apps have stepped up to the challenge quite well.

Client management

This is one of the most important aspects of my business. I need a way to sort through contacts and organize them efficiently. Fortunately iOS makes this task easy. I’ve made groups within my Mac address book that will sync across all my computers, iPhones, and iPads.

The ability to be able to send contact cards to clients and business partners is also extremely important. With my iPhone I can simply send a contact card via text or e-mail. I use contact cards not only to store ways to contact a client but notes that I may want to remember later.

Task Management

I’ve always depended on apps like Things or ToDo by Appigo to handle projects and task lists. Since the introduction of Reminders in iOS 5 my habits have changed a bit since Apple has made it even easier to handle tasks without the use of third party apps.

I’m also a die hard iCal user. I frequently use shared calendars and sync all of them across all my devices so I can access any of my information from any computer, iPhone, or iPad. I always had issues doing this back in my BlackBerry days. Either calendars never stayed synced or there was no easy cloud syncing option for Mac users. That’s changed a bit since then but I still find that my iOS has offered better solutions than most other mobile platforms.

Working on the go

Besides using my iPhone for wireless hotspot tethering I have a tendency to need to work on the go or while traveling. Between my MacBook Pro, iPad, and iPhone this has never been easier. When it comes to web development I can use HTML and PHP editor apps on my iPad to make changes to client’s websites on the go. I can also develop websites on my iPad and easily pick up where I left off when I get back to my office on my iMac.

I also use apps such as LogMeIn Ignition from my iPad and iPhone while on the go. If I ever forget to save a file to my Dropbox or Box.net account I can easily access it from anywhere as my iMac is always connected to the internet. Long gone are the days of forgetting files and documents or transferring them via physical media devices.

I can even balance our books and do our accounting functions on the go with QuickBooks mobile. So whether I’m in the office or traveling I always know where we stand and what’s going on back at home.

Payment systems

As a small business we use Square in order to accept credit card payments from clients. The adapter will plug in to my iPhone or iPad and allow me to accept payments on location or from the office. As long as I have a wifi or cellular connection I’m good to go. This is extremely important considering the nature of our business and the need to sometimes take payments at a client’s location instead of our own. This has never been easier with systems like Square or Intuit GoPayments for iPhone and iPad.

Overall workflow

We are a company that has instituted an all Apple eco-system. While our solutions may not work for everyone my iPhone is not only a device I enjoy using but one I heavily depend on to conduct business on an everyday basis. Everything from my reminders to my appointments to my client management and file systems can all be accessed and updated from my iPhone. And where there isn’t a built-in iOS feature to meet my needs I’ve found third party apps that fill that gap.

My iPhone makes my life easier and more stress free on a regular basis when it comes to business. The best part is after the work day is over I can also use my iPhone for play. It really is an all around work and play device that I depend on in several ways each and every day.

Garmin has announced an iPhone fitness app called Garmin Fit and also an accessory called the ANT+. The fitness app will allow users to track their workouts including pace, distance, time and calories burnt. It can also map your runs and automatically uploads your data to Garmin Connect which is a web community for Garmin Fit users.

The ANT+ adapor clips into the 30 pin dock connector on your iPhone and it can then connect wirelessly with various Garmin accessories such as a heart rate monitor and even a foot pod senor. The foot pod sensor allows users who are using a treadmill or similar to track speed, distance and even run cadence.

“Garmin Fit is the ideal solution for users who are new to the fitness tracking landscape and for those looking to stay totally connected," said Dan Bartel, Garmin's vice president of worldwide sales. "To be able to utilize Garmin's powerful fitness accessories with the same device that plays music, makes calls and uploads workouts automatically to share and analyze, makes Garmin Fit a must have app."

The Garmin Fit app is available in the App Store for and is compatible with the iPhone, iPad and iPod touch. The ANT+ adaptor is available directly from Garmin at a price of $49.

[App Store link]

Every day, TiPb gets flooded with announcements for new and updated iPhone, iPod touch, and iPad apps and games. So every day we pick just a few of the most interesting, the most notable, and simply the most awesome to share with you!

• Ray Marching: You are the Sun to control the ray. Your army, photons will march along the ray. Flowers are waiting to be saved from the threat of darkness. Can you rescue them? [Free for iPhone - App Store link]

• imo instant messenger: Stay in touch with friends on your existing IM accounts: Facebook Chat, Google Talk, Skype, MSN, ICQ/AIM, Yahoo, Jabber, Hyves, VKontakte, Myspace, and now Steam! [Free for iPhone - App Store link]

• Powder Monkeys: Ready yer cannons and set sail on a high seas adventure as you lead the Powder Monkeys in their quest to rid the world of the evil bugs plaguing all monkey-kind. [$0.99 for iPhone and iPad - App Store link]

• LinkDots: It is not tic tac toe, connect four or Minesweeper, the old time classic games that have granted us such great moments. LINKDOTS goes further than that. You earn points depending on the complexity of your figures. [$0.99 for iPhone - App Store link]

• Wake N Shake: Experience what it feels like to wake up with a sudden jolt of energy. The intense physical motion required to shut off the alarm raises your heart rate, and wakes you up instantly. No more dragging yourself out of bed. Jump out of bed and get your day started! [$0.99 for iPhone - App Store link]

Any other big app or game releases or updates today?

Have an app you’d love to see featured on TiPb? Email us at iosapps@tipb.com, tell us about your app (include an iTunes link), and we’ll take a look.

Apple has released another update for the Apple TV, this one is numbered 4.4.2.  It appears that Apple has been having some strange problems with recent Apple TV updates with widespread reports of devices having to be restored using iTunes after the 4.4 and 4.4.1 updates. If you are already running version 4.4 or 4.4.1, Apple wants you to perform a system reset before updating to this latest version.

Apple TV devices with software version 4.4 and 4.4.1 have an issue with updating software to later versions. The recommended way to resolve this is go to Settings -> General -> Reset -> Reset All Settings, prior to updating. Note: If you apply the software update without resetting all settings first, the updater will reset the settings for you.

Once you have reset the settings, you can update the software in the usual way. Apple has issued an apology for this inconvenience and hopefully this will be the end of strange update problems for the latest Apple TV. Let us know if you update and how it works out for you!

Source: Apple