iPhone Approll

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Apple's iPhone App Store grows every day with new free and paid offerings. The lion's share of apps (and clearly the most popular) have been games, now with 626 digital time wasters at the time of this writing. I check the App Store almost every day for new stuff--mostly in the free category, but I've also bought my share of iPhone apps, too.

What do I look for? To be honest, I like it all--from the completely useless, but funny programs to the legitimately useful everyday apps. When I sift through the various lists of apps on my iPhone, I make sure to check reviews before I download, but like everyone, I also take chances when it's something that looks interesting.

This week I found a couple of free apps that are definitely worth checking out.

Yes, sometimes you get a close up of someone's sofa, but that's part of the fun!

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PhotoSwap is a time-waster that lets you get a small glimpse into the life of another iPhone user. Once PhotoSwap is on your iPhone, simply touch the camera icon and snap a picture, then hit Use Photo. The image is then sent randomly to another PhotoSwap user who can reply to your image with another image--kind of like a photo conversation. To round out the not-so-extensive feature list, you can touch Info to see a little message the other user might have left or the general location where they are (both are set up--or turned off--in the iPhone settings). Though it's not practical in any way, it's fun to see what people send you. Let me know how you like it in the comments.

Slide your finger across the screen-sliders to aim your shot and then hit "FIRE!"

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Cannon Challenge is my other recent download for the iPhone. Great for waiting in line or sitting at the airport, Cannon Challenge is a simple, but fun artillery game. Touch-screen sliders let you set the angle and velocity, and an onscreen fire button activates your Non-Line-of-Site (NOLS) Cannon. You're given a limited number of rockets to hit your targets in each round so it pays to be accurate. It's a fairly easy game, but there is some variation with changing backgrounds and some moving targets at higher levels. Great sound effects and vibrations accompany your direct hits. It's certainly not the greatest artillery game you'll ever play, but it's perfect as a free app on your iPhone.

I'll be coming back regularly with a new set of apps so if you're an iPhone user, check in for a closer look at some of the best (or worst) iPhone apps.

Rooms is the first IRC client for the iPhone

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Rooms is, so far anyway, the first and only IRC client for the iPhone. It's pretty stripped down as far as IRC clients go, but for simple chatting, it works really well. That said, it has quite a number of bugs, probably because it's only version 0.5. For the uninitiated, IRC stands for Internet Relay Chat, and involves real-time Internet communication on chat rooms called channels. There are hundreds of IRC servers located around the world, and is probably one of the oldest forms of Internet chat rooms.

When you first start Rooms up, you'll be prompted to add a new server, a port number, as well as a desired nickname, which is typical with most IRC clients. Then you can decide if you want to always connect to the server, plus you can set up default rooms (or channels) to join upon connecting. Rooms also has a nice console view that lets you see the connection status. Other settings include the ability to save chat logs, the choice to disable the iPhone's autolock feature (meaning it'll prevent the phone from going to sleep), plus the choice to stay constantly connected. The latter means that even when you get disconnected, the client will automatically try to reconnect you.

You can join multiple rooms on multiple servers

(Credit: Nicole Lee/CNET)

From there, you can join any channel you wish, and you can even switch between different channels by swiping your finger horizontally across the screen. However, when we tried to connect to two different IRC servers simultaneously, we sometimes found that channels would freeze and not show up. This is probably a bug with the first version of the software, but just keep that in mind.

The channel layout is pretty self-explanatory. The nicknames are along the top, while the chat goes on beneath it. Typing out chat messages is as easy as tapping the empty field on the bottom and then typing away on the iPhone keyboard. You can also toggle auto-correct off by hitting the "ABC" button. To send a private message to someone, you can tap the person's name or select the name from the pop-up menu on the bottom right.

There are a few limitations, though. You can't do the typical IRC slash commands, like /op or /me, so you'll be pretty useless as a channel moderator. Of course, chat and data transfers in the form of DCC (Direct Client-to-Client) aren't supported either. Also, as we mentioned, there are several bugs that can occur with this first version of the app. For example, one of the bugs I encountered was that the Disable Autolock feature sometimes crashed the app altogether.

If you can live with the occasional bug, though, I think this is a well-executed app, especially for those of us who simply must continue to chat online even when out and about. Rooms costs $0.99 cents on the iTunes App Store.

On Wednesday night, Facebook previewed the next version of its popular iPhone application, which has retained one of the top spots in Apple's App Store since its launch in early July.

The new mobile version is a complete overhaul that shares much in common with the redesign of Facebook's Web version--a move that could be paving the way for mobile advertising and applications later on down the road.

The biggest addition in version 2.0 is support for real-time status updates, including integration with the service's messaging and live chat. At the time of launch, users will be getting these updates only while the application is running, with the push notifications coming when Apple flips that switch--presumably in a software update in late September, as promised.

For those using the application as a communications hub, the internetwork mail system has also been given an overhaul, letting users search through messages by words or entire phrases. It also pulls in the entirety of members' in-boxes, as opposed to the status quo of showing only the 30 most recent messages.

Between these two enhancements and an improved News Feed that better integrates media and shared links, the next version should be far more compelling. Anxious users will have to wait until sometime next month to get their hands on it, though.

Below, I've bundled together all the screenshots, courtesy of Facebook. If you're a Facebook user, you can also click through the entire set and see comments from other Facebook users here.

(Credit: Ryan Grove on Flickr)

Earlier this week, Yahoo rolled out a new mobile search site designed specifically for use on Apple's iPhone and iPod Touch devices. Some background information was provided by Yahoo developer Ryan Grove on his blog.

Grove explained that he wanted to make as few concessions and compromises as possible when it came to bringing Yahoo search to the iPhone. So the new mobile site comes with some goodies, too: SearchAssist, to auto-complete inquiries; compatibility with Yahoo's SearchMonkey widgetized results (if you're logged in), and search shortcuts like weather, movie times, and local information.

Early reviews seem to be positive. "Thanks for finally giving me the reason to get one of those damn iPhones," a commenter on Grove's blog wrote.

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In this day and age when every other person is a self-described foodie, finding the best mobile application to point you to a taste bud-bending experience requires as much discernment as finding the authentic voice from among throngs of folks who think they know good eats.

I'd be lying if I didn't claim snobby epicurean tendencies, myself.

This headstrong belief in one's own taste credentials is exactly what fuels the need for informative and well-designed food-finding applications. Too simple and a foodie will shun it. Too esoteric and it could alienate a growing segment of people who really care about the art and science of meal-making.

I've recently studied several restaurant-recommending applications for iPhone and other mobile platforms, including Yelp and Urbanspoon for iPhone and Zagat To Go for Windows Mobile, Palm, and BlackBerry, and wondered how relative newcomers Munch ($0.99) and LocalEats ($0.99) compare to these more established services.

Munch for iPhone turns out accurate results, but what's with the ratings?

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There are, of course, things to laud and criticize with each app. Munch's interface has a great method for quick-launching searches for pizza, Mexican, and so on from icons in the screen navigation. You can select other cuisines from a scrolling list. Munch returns wonderfully accurate search results, but is devoid of context. There are no reviews, no Web site listings, and every restaurant we looked at was rated with five empty stars. That's doable if you want a listings app, but for anyone trying to make intelligent choices, it just won't work.

LocalEats fares much better. The app brings you the best 100 (or more) restaurants in 50 U.S. cities as determined by a team of foodie professionals, authors of the online dining guide Where the locals eat. The benefit is that unlike Urbanspoon, no national chain even thinks of making an appearance. You can search each city's highest-rated establishments by alphabetical order, cuisine type, or the best of each category. For larger cities you can also search by neighborhood.

One of the common complaints about Apple's iPhone--and one that did not get solved with the launch of the iPhone 3G--is the lack of a copy-paste function. An independent developer, Zac White, recently unveiled his open-source solution: OpenClip, a standard for other iPhone application developers.

He's not the first one to have that idea: another developer, Preston Monroe, has created a hack called iCopy that lets iPhone owners copy and paste between the e-mail and Web browser applications.

OpenClip is not a standalone app but rather a technology that developers can incorporate into their iPhone applications, should they choose to participate. No applications yet support OpenClip, but it's coming soon for the American Heritage Dictionary and Roget's Thesaurus applications, Twitter client Twittelator, notepad application MagicPad, finance lexicon Wall Street Worlds, and a number of others.

iPhone users will be able to copy and paste from one OpenClip application to the next, but not to developer applications that aren't participating or to Apple's own iPhone apps, such as its e-mail client or the Safari browser.

Apple has acknowledged that copy-paste functionality will be officially coming to the iPhone, eventually, and OpenClip's creator has recognized Apple's plan.

"Instead of just waiting on the sidelines, we wanted to help iPhone users and Apple by being proactive and trying to help with a solution," the site's FAQ reads. "While just an interim fix until Apple adopts a systemwide version, OpenClip hopes to add to the iPhone user experience and provide a working case study for Apple, hopefully allowing (company engineers) to roll out their version more quickly."

Today I had one of those what-the-heck software moments that occurs when a program breaks where it's least expected. A premier feature in the iPhone application I was tinkering with had vanished after a version update.

1Password for iPhone, first reviewed by my colleague Josh Lowensohn, is better known by its Mac counterpart, which encrypts log-ons and passwords on the Mac and automatically fills them in on Web pages. Windows users can think of it as the rough equivalent to RoboForm.

Since a smooth move like that requires multiple programs to run concurrently--something presently prohibited for iPhone applications--1Password for iPhone sports a work-around. Rather than leave the application to sign on to a page from Safari, 1Password launches an in-application Web browser from a log-in detail page. Clicking the icon of a keyhole and then clicking the site name will auto-fill the log-in information, therefore getting by that pesky lack of program multitasking still plaguing the iPhone.

Those last two steps are superfluous in my opinion, but what's worse is that the procedure failed. Over and over again. Could the publisher have pulled the feature? Not likely as long as the Web site is still boasting native iPhone support for autofill. So what happened?

The new log-on reminder option is a must until 1Password's iPhone autofill feature is restored.

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It turns out that Dave Teare, co-founder of Agile Web Solutions, 1Password's publisher, had some trouble with the latest release and discovered the mistake after already submitting buggy version 1.3 to the iTunes App Store for approval. Now 1Password for iPhone is stripped of the gem in its password-protecting crown and will remain so until Apple busts version 1.3.2 free from iTunes purgatory, a process that will take anywhere from three days to a week.

Ahem. That's what happens when you let someone else rule the release of your software. Apple's tight control over the contents of the App Store is ordinarily an understandable check against malicious software and bogus software, but in this case, it curbs the publisher's ability to push emergency fixes. This shift in the power dynamic will either: demand greater quality on the publishers' end; feed a few tech scandals when buggy software slips by; create some truly naggy and disgruntled developers and marketers; or all of the above.

I have to wonder if the iTunes team has considered priority accounts like Google AdWords or emergency-attention surcharges like UPS and FedEx. Probably. As long as iPhones are hot and the applications are hotter, future iPhone application flubs by furrowed-brow publishers could become a lucrative opportunity to sell premium customer service.

At any rate, those of you who have already updated your 1Password iPhone application to version 1.3 can still enjoy other fixes, like the newly-instituted capability to delete entries and hide passwords in editing view; a panel that displays your log-on info to manually enter it in the browser window; and a security setting to swallow up the 1Password browser's cookies.

Last.fm's music-centered social network is one of our favorite ways to discover, share, and stream music online. Currently in version 1.01, the Last.fm application for the iPhone and iPod Touch allows many of the best features of Last.fm to break away from your computer and go on the road with you. The Last.fm app isn't perfect, however, and people looking for a straightforward Internet radio application would do better with offerings from Pandora and AOL.

The Last.fm app's main menu offers many ways to hear streaming music...maybe too many.

When launching the Last.fm iPhone app for the first time, you'll be prompted to enter your existing Last.fm account username and password, or you'll be offered the option to create a new account. If you're new to Last.fm, we recommend you get started with the service using your home computer, since many features depend on an ongoing analysis of your computer's music collection (also known as scrobbling).

Once you're logged in, the Last.fm app offers eight ways to stream music over EDGE, 3G, or Wi-Fi. You can listen to songs Last.fm has already scrobbled from your computer's music collection, treat yourself to recommended songs, do a cold search for new music, or hear what your friends have been listening to. The music playback screen is similar to Apple's own iPod screen, displaying large cover art, volume, pause, and skip controls, as well as an iTunes purchase link and Last.fm's own song rating buttons, which help to steer the quality of song recommendations. On the very bottom edge of the screen you'll find tabs for the currently playing track, artist biography, similar artists, events (such as related concerts), and a More tab that includes the track's tag information and Top Listeners.

With all its features, tabs, and buttons, the Last.fm app is one of the most in-depth and dynamic streaming music applications available for the iPhone. Unfortunately, despite its ambitious list of features, the program is bogged down with performance issues that make it frustrating to use at times. During testing in both Wi-Fi and 3G modes, we often experienced 5 to 10 second buffer delays each time we initiated a music stream or skipped between songs. The buffer issues subsided under ideal circumstances where Wi-Fi or 3G reception was strong; however, similar streaming audio applications from Pandora and AOL offered better streaming performance under more realistic conditions.

With any luck, future updates to the Last.fm app will improve streaming music reliability and refine the somewhat confusing assortment of menu options and playback screen features. In its current state, the Last.fm app presents a bite-size version of the Last.fm Web site experience in a way that may satisfy existing users, but is unlikely to win new converts.

Editors' note: Last.fm is owned by CNET's parent company, CBS Interactive.

Stitcher is trying to be to news and information what Pandora is to music. The service provides you with a variety of audio programming, broken down by topics, such as sports, technology, and world news. Sources for the app include CNN, CNET, ESPN, AP, WSJ, Reuters, and a variety of local sources. As you rate the various audio streams and podcasts, Stitcher learns what you might like and serves up content.

While there is a bigger market for music, I think that there is a sizable market for customized news and information. A lot of people listen to news and sports on the radio and Stitcher makes it easy to have a highly personalized stream to get you caught up on what matters to you.

Stitcher is a free, ad supported app. There is no word yet on when the app is going to be available to the general public, but the limited beta test ends at the end of this week.

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Google has updated yet another one of its products to work better on Apple's iPhone. On Thursday the company launched a new version of its Translate service that lets anyone convert their native tongue into one of the other 23 available languages.

The service has been reworked mainly to appeal to travelers who don't want to carry around phrase books and have their mobile phones with them anyway. In a post about the update, Google software engineer Allen Hutchison notes that the tool uses as minimal an amount of data as possible, so it won't break the bank while you're abroad and incur massive data roaming charges from your carrier. Hutchison says the general number of translations is anywhere between 200-400 per 1MB of data, which is quite a few considering data can cost you at least $0.005 per KB while abroad (depending your carrier).

The tool also keeps track of all your previous entries, so each time you come back to the page, your past translations will be there. You can get it to go back and re-translate them all to another language without getting rid of the old ones.

Also, in case you're trying to use it as a tool to communicate with someone else (without slaughtering any pronunciations) you can reverse the two languages on the fly, letting someone else type using their own language as long as it matches your phone's selected character set.

Still missing from the mobile version of Translate is the site translator and the dictionary utility that pulls up full word definitions and commonly used phrases that surround them, the former being useful for hitting local hotel or attraction sites while out on the go.