MacRumors iPhone and iPad Blog: Apps, News, and Rumors

Macworld reports that Orbicule has updated its Undercover [App Store, $4.99] theft recovery application for the iPhone and iPod touch to include a tool that utilizes push notifications to entice thieves into opening the application to allow it to transmit the device's location to Orbicule's recovery center. Now you have the ability to send push notifications with any message of your choosing...

CNET reports that TomTom has updated its turn-by-turn GPS navigation application for the iPhone with several highly-anticipated features, including text-to-speech and advanced lane guidance. The updated application has been submitted to Apple and is currently awaiting approval. The update will add text-to-speech (TTS) for spoken street names and POIs as part of the device's directions, graphic...

TechCrunch reported yesterday that Joe Hewitt, the developer behind the popular Facebook iPhone application, has resigned from the project over his dissatisfaction with the "gatekeeper" model of Apple's App Store review process. In response to a request for comment from TechCrunch, Hewitt explained his views: My decision to stop iPhone development has had everything to do with Apple's policies. I ...

Wired reports that Apple has recently rolled out a new feature for iPhone developers, offering a history of status updates for each application submitted for inclusion in the company's App Store. In Apple's Dev Center website, iPhone app developers can view Apple's progress on reviewing their apps from start to finish. When an app is in line to be reviewed, the status will read "Waiting for...

Pocket-lint reports that UK wireless provider Orange is claiming that it has sold over 30,000 iPhones as of 4:00 p.m. on launch day for the carrier, reportedly smashing records for one-day mobile phone sales. The news comes via a Twitter post from Conor Maples, a member of Orange's communications team. Orange UK had sold more than 30k iPhones,smashing what we believe is the previously published...

Navigon's popular turn-by-turn GPS iPhone application MobileNavigator North America [App Store, $89.99] has been updated to offer live traffic information in the U.S. and Canada. The new addition, known as Navigon Traffic Live, is available via In App Purchasing for an additional one-time $19.99 fee. News of the addition first surfaced in mid-September at which time it was noted that the...

Shazam today announced the introduction of Shazam Encore [App Store, $4.99], a new paid version of the popular iPhone application that allows users to tag and automatically identify songs simply using the device's built-in microphone. Shazam Encore offers a number of enhancements and new features over the original application, which was one of the early App Store success stories and was featur...

Starting tomorrow, UK wireless carrier will begin offering to unlock its customers' iPhones, allowing them to be used on any compatible network. The move comes as rival carrier Orange begins selling the iPhone there. O2 will be offering unlocking for both customers on monthly prepaid plans and on pay-as-you-go plans. Customers under contract for monthly prepaid plans will be able to have...

Multiple reports have come in that Apple is researching RFID integration into the iPhone, but some may still be wondering what such functionality would bring to the table for consumers. Firstly, we should note that RFID is a catch-all term that describes a vast array of technologies and standards. RFID tags can be relatively large and battery-powered, such as ones used in toll collection, to...

Several U.S. MacRumors readers have reported that Apple has begun shipping the TomTom iPhone car kit, which finally appeared in the company's U.S. online store several weeks ago. The kit, which is priced at $119.95 and does not include the navigation application, offers an iPhone mount with integrated GPS receiver for improved performance, hands-free calling, and a built-in speaker for clearer...

GearDiary reports on a recent change to Adobe's "Get Flash" download page for Flash Player that appears when visited by iPhone users. iPhone users are linked to the page when attempting to load Flash video and have traditionally been greeted with a simple message informing them that Flash was not available for their platform. The updated text clearly passes the blame for lack of Flash...

Macworld reports that the developers of three iPhone comics applications have struck deals to bring Marvel Comics to the iPhone via in-app purchasing. Comics [App Store], iVerse Comics [App Store], and Panelfly Comics [App Store] are all participating in the releases. The Marvel comics available initially from Comixology are Joss Whedon's 24-issue run on Astonishing X-Men, Robert Kirkman's...

The NBA today launched NBA League Pass Mobile [App Store, $39.99] for the iPhone and Android operating systems, bringing live video of over 40 NBA basketball games per week for the 2009-2010 season to users via Wi-Fi and 3G. Features include: - Watch over 40 LIVE NBA games a week - View full game replays for up to 48 hours after the game Local market, national blackout and other restrictions...

Blog software publisher WordPress today announced that WordPress for iPhone 2 [App Store, Free] is now available. The new version, which is a separate application from the original WordPress app and thus can not be obtained via the App Store's update mechanism, brings a number of new features for those looking to administer their WordPress-based blogs on the go. The most notable changes...

NASA, the U.S. space agency, has released an iPhone application [App Store, Free] that enables users to stay on top of the latest NASA news. The application offers access to up-to-the-minutes news, videos, and photos from NASA missions. Users can also track the orbital locations of various NASA spacecraft in real-time. The NASA software makes extensive use of built-in iPhone features and...

TomTom's GPS car kit appeared in Apple's U.S. online store a few days ago priced at the expected $119.95, and while it was initially listed as "currently unavailable", the shipping window has now been updated to reflect scheduled ship time of 2-3 weeks. The car kit appeared in Apple's European online stores several weeks ago, and while shipping was initially scheduled for 1-2 weeks in those...

According to AppShopper, Apple's App Store has surpassed 100,000 approved iPhone and iPod touch applications. The mark is an unofficial milestone, however, as the count of currently available applications stands at only approximately 92,000. The difference results from the removal of applications from the App Store by either Apple or the applications' developers. Apple's most recent official ...

Wolfram Alpha, the online computational knowledge engine that launched in May, now has an app available in the App Store. According to its App Store description, the app "plugs directly into Wolfram|Alpha's supercomputing cloud to deliver the unrivaled power of the Wolfram|Alpha knowledge engine to the mobile environment." While the app still requires an internet connection to work, it...