Foursquare for BlackBerry updated, adds new design and features
Popular location-sharing network Foursquare has updated its app for BlackBerry to version 3.2.1, packing a host of new features and a redesigned UI.
The most notable feature is the overhaul of the Venue and Check-in screen, while the entire layout is now amended to take into account devices with high-res screens. Also, many users were having issues connecting to BBM servers, so Foursquare responded by improving the handling and performance of connecting to BBM terminals. However, the app still lacks the ability to set keyboard shortcuts for non-touchscreen phones, a popular feature found in the Twitter app.
Other new features include major technical improvements to the GPS/location-based services, which were notoriously inaccurate on the BlackBerry platform. You’ll also find several bug-fixes and tweaks for battery-life optimization, which is certainly helpful for an app that utilizes your device’s built-in GPS.
The update to Foursquare v3.2.1 is available in BlackBerry App World for free, and is available for any device running OS 4.2+.
via Crackberry
Llama for Android automatically changes your profile based on time, location

Ever wish you could automatically silence your phone’s ringer, change the ringtone, or use vibration instead of an audible ringtone for notifications when you leave your home or office? Llama is a free app that lets you make those adjustments automatically.
Here’s how it works. The first time you launch Llama it will ask you to set up areas. You can create home and work areas, or other areas for places you regularly visit. Just long-press on any area and click the start learning button and Llama will search for nearby cell towers. That way any time you enter or leave the area, Llama can make adjustments to your profile without asking you first.
Once you have some areas set up, you can visit the Profiles tab where you can customize different actions such as ringtone and notification volume, media volume, alarm volume, or in-call volume. You can even have the Llama icon in your notification bar change colors when you switch profiles.
Finally you can go to the Events tab where Llama lets you create a set of conditions for switching from one profile to another. For instance, you can mute your phone when you leave home, or switch to a quiet profile after 10:00 at night.
Llama doesn’t give you as many options as AutomateIt or Tasker. For instance, it doesn’t let you disable WiFi when you leave your house. But Tasker costs about $6.38, and while AutoMateIt is free, it’s a bit more confusing to operate than Llama.
Update: It appears I missed some of Llama’s additional functions. From the Event editing menu you can add a number of additional actions such as toggling the GPS, WiFi, Bluetooth, or Google account synchronization. You can also adjust the screen brightness, screen timeout length and other settings. I’m actually quite impressed with the number of options you get from this free app — although I’m surprised many of these options show up in the Event screen rather than the Profiles screen.
TuneWiki launches enhanced social music app with lyrics for Android

TuneWiki has launched an updated version of its music player for Google Android and there are almost too many features to list. The first thing that sets TuneWiki apart from a standard music player is support for song lyrics. The company has a huge user-generated list of lyrics which scroll as you listen to a song. For some songs I found that TuneWiki had the lyrics… but they weren’t synchronized, so the app asked me to tap the screen after I heard each line, which sort of turns the work of making the app more accurate into a game-like experience.
TuneWiki also includes social elements, letting you sign into Twitter or Facebook to let your friends know what you’re listening to. You can also create a TuneWiki account and see what your contacts are listening to.
The app also lets you discover new songs using a map to view songs playing nearby or top songs in your country or around the globe.
The latest version of the app adds a SongBox panel to your home screen, letting you see what your friends are listening to. If you haven’t linked to any social networking accounts, TuneWiki will just show you what other nearby users are playing.
You can also now stream samples of songs from the SongBox and purchase tracks within the app. TuneWiki also has a new look with three themes to choose from: blue, black, and gold.
TuneWiki 3.0 is available as a free download from the Android Market for Android 1.5 and up. You can make an in-app purchase for $4.99 to make the ads at the bottom of the screen go away.
Apple iOS 4.3.3 and 4.2.8 now available, with less location tracking
Apple has released a software update for the Apple iPhone, iPod touch, and iPad with a few major changes to the way location services track and store your data. The move comes in response to a rather public outcry about the way Apple not only knew where your phone was when location data was turned on — but also stored a record of where your phone had been.
The latest update for the Verizon iPhone is iOS 4.2.8. All other models get iOS 4.3.3.
Specifically, the update:
- Reduces the size of location cache
- No longer backs up that cache to iTunes
- Deletes the whole cache when you turn off location services.
The update is available for 3rd and 4th generation iPod touch models, the iPad and iPad 2, and the iPhone 3GS and iPhone 4.
If you’re concerned about privacy you might want to apply the update right away. But if you have a jailbroken device you might want to hold off until it’s clear whether existing jailbreak methods will work with iOS 4.3.3 and iOS 4.2.8. Using iTunes to update your operating system will almost certainly remove your jailbreak.
Update: It turns out you can use the latest version of redsn0w to jailbreak devices running iOS 4.3.3 — but you’ll end up with a tethered jailbreak, meaning you have to connect your iPhone, iPod touch, or iPad to a computer every time you reboot.
via TUAW
Google Latitude app for iPhone now available

Google Latitude is a free service that lets you see where your Google Contacts are in real-time, on a Google Map. The service has been available for Android for a while, and PC users can configure a setting in a web browser to let their computers send location data to Google. But an iPhone app has been noticeably absent… until now.
Google has finally released a Latitude app for iOS, which is available as a free download from the App Store.
The app supports multitasking in iOS 4.x which lets Latitude run in the background and track your location even when the app is closed. Just make sure to disable background updating or hide your location if you don’t want people to know where you are.
You can check out a demo video after the break.
via Redmond Pie
GeoPix changes your Android wallpaper based on your location

Have a hard time sticking to just a single wallpaper on your Android phone? GeoPix is a utility that lets you automatically switch between wallpapers based on your physical location. Basically, you can set as many geographical locations as you like and then set a wallpaper to go with each one. As you walk from one location to the next, GeoPix will change your background. There’s also an option to send you a notification letting you know the wallpaper has changed, so you won’t miss the action if your phone is, you know, in your pocket while you’re travelling.

Scan to download
GeoPix comes with a fairly large catalog of wallpapers to choose from which you can search or browse by category. And you can also grab any image from the Android Gallery app and make it your desktop. In other words, you can snap a picture of your house and use GeoPix to automatically change your wallpaper to that picture when you walk toward your house.
The location chooser is pretty neat. You can either enter a location by address or hit a button to zoom into your current location. Then you use the slider to change the size of the location. If you want your “home” wallpaper to show up just when you’re within a few feet of your house, you can do that. Or you can make your home wallpaper the default for several city blocks or even a whole city.
Honestly, I’m not sure how useful GeoPix is… but it’s a pretty nifty concept. And the app is available as a free download from the Android Market.
You can find a few more images after the break.
via TechCrunch
Google Shopping for mobile makes it easier to find in-stock items near you
Google has rolled out a new feature for its mobile shipping site: Now you can tell if the items you’re looking for are in stock at partnering stores near your location.
The feature only works in the US. But if you’re in the States and you happen to have a iPhone, Android, or WebOS phone, here’s how it works. Just fire up your mobile browser and navigate to google.com. Click the “more” button and select “shopping” and enter a search term.
If the item you’re looking for is available in a nearby store, you should see a little blue dot in the search results. Right now Google has a small list of retailers signed up, including Best Buy, Sears, Pottery Barn, West Elm, and Williams-Sonoma. But I have a feeling Google will be adding new partners soon.




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