And the iOS4 app updates just keep on coming. We’re finding more and more by the day. Whether it’s adding support for the iPhone 4’s awesome retina display or taking advantage of new APIs within iOS4, we’re still watching for them. Here’s the ones we found this time around, and as always, if you see any we missed, be sure to let us know in the comments!

Readdle

Readdle is an incredibly easy to use app that allows you to not only view all kinds of files right on your iPhone, but also allows you to manage and save attachments. It’s one of the better apps we’ve found to handle documents, not to mention reasonably priced. Not only did Readdle’s newest update add multitasking support, it also adds support for USB file transfer through iTunes. Better yet, you can now save attachments via the Mail app.

[iTunes Link]

WeeMee Avatar Creator

WeeMee is an incredibly cool app that allows you to create your own avatars on the fly.  (I bet all of you could have guessed who the above avatar was without a name attached!) It’s a great time killer and an awesome way to express yourself on Twitter or whatever social medium you choose. This update fixed a couple bugs found in their initial iOS4 update. It also adds tons of in-app purchases to choose from. If you decide to check it out, let us know!

[iTunes Link]

Wolfram Alpha

If you need a hardcore math application that can handle any formula or calculation you throw at it, Wolfram Alpha is definitely for you. Leanna reviewed this app a while back and had good things to say about it. I don’t know nearly as much about math as she does, so coming from her, you know it’s decent. I use this app for easy to semi-complicated formulas and it’s always performed incredibly well. This update adds support for the iPhone 4’s retina display as well as optimized images. It also adds multitasking support for fast app switching.

[iTunes Link]

Trism

Trism is a long time favorite on the iPhone platform. It was released not long after the app store initially launched and it’s still a favorite of mine. It takes a newer approach on puzzle games like Tetris. This version of Trism adds HD puzzle pieces to support the iPhone 4’s retina display.  So if you’re in the mood for a game that never gets old and never ends, Trism is definitely a great time killer at a great price.

[iTunes Link]

Reel Director

Reel Director was here before iMovie for iPhone 4, and unlike Apple’s offering it supports not only older iPhone models but iPod touch and iPad as well. That’s right, it’s a universal binary and the latest update includes:

• Import music from iPod music library (iOS 4 only)
• Support iPhone 4 retina display
• Upload to YouTube within app
• Improved HD video quality on iPhone 4
• Improved photo render quality

[iTunes link]

iOS4 Apps Updated: Readdle, WeeMee Avatar Creator, Wolfram Alpha, Trism, Reel Director is a story by TiPb. This feed is sponsored by The iPhone Blog Store.

TiPb - The #1 iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch Blog

Jailbreakers can rejoice again as not only has the iOS4 jailbreak been updated, iPhone 4 users can now jailbreak as well! iPad users are also included, whether you’re running 3.2 or 3.2.1, the jailbreak should work for you either way. If you haven’t done so already, here’s a list of things to do before and after jailbreaking!

And before you proceed, here’s the normal disclaimer;

Jailbreaking can and will void the warranty on your device. Should something go wrong, the responsibility is your own, so proceed with caution. If you feel uncomfortable jailbreaking your device, it’s probably best if you don’t. But if you’re okay with all that, read on!

Backup your iPhone/iPad

Jailbreak Your iDevice

This jailbreak is probably one of the most dead simple ones you’ll ever use. Simply go to www.jailbreakme.com with Safari on your actual device. You will see the webpage like above. You’ll slide to jailbreak, and wait. If all went well, when it’s done, you’ll be jailbroken. The easiest way to tell is if you now see a Cydia icon on your springboard.

Save your SHSH Blob

You’ll want to click that. You may see a message at the top of Cydia for a few days saying you have a request in. This can happen when the servers are overloaded with requests. Saurik has also taken down the server in the past when it gets hammered. If this is the case, just keep trying until the top of your phone says you have an SHSH on file for whatever OS you’re running. It’ll look something like this -

You’re done!  If you guys had any issues, be sure to check out our jailbreak forums for common problems and questions.  If you still can’t find an answer, drop us a line!

Update:

I almost forgot something pretty important, whenever you jailbreak (especially if you plan on SSH’ing), always change your root and mobile passwords! As of now, users are reporting problems with Terminal under iOS4 while jailbroken, but you can change your root passwords still, there’s a thread here explaining how to do this. Let us know if you have any issues in the forums! There’s lots of great members willing to help you with the process.

Guide to Jailbreaking iPhone 4 and iPad is a story by TiPb. This feed is sponsored by The iPhone Blog Store.

TiPb - The #1 iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch Blog

As you all know by now, we’re still watching for iOS4 updates that crop up in the app store, and as always, if you guys see interesting ones, feel free to let us know.  Here’s the ones we found in the last week or so, and if you haven’t checked for updates, go check that update tab and let us know if you caught something we didn’t!

Osfoora

Osfoora has taken the place as my favorite Twitter client (for now anyways). They received an iOS4 update we covered a few weeks back, but this one is even better. It adds full retina display support for the iPhone 4 and boy is it pretty. The whole app got somewhat of a facelift as well. The text really pops and the main menus have been revamped. So if you haven’t updated, go for it, or if you are looking for a Twitter client, Osfoora is definitely one of the best around.

[iTunes Link]

Agendus

Agendus is basically an all-in-one app for all the important information on your phone. It basically intertwines your contacts, calendars, and apps into one native app. If you’ve always wanted something that would do this, Agendus is more than decent. The new version adds iOS4 support as well as a new high res icon.

[iTunes Link]

Reeder

Reeder is one of my favorite RSS clients. If you don’t have one and want a full featured one with Google Reader integration, there’s a good chance Reeder will do what you need it to, and then some. This update adds support for the iPhone 4 retina display. The icon just looks so fancy on my homescreen now, as well as all my articles being incredibly sharp. Good job on this one guys, it’s an awesome update.

[iTunes Link]

AT&T MyWireless

AT&T just pushed through an update to their MyWireless app that adds retina support for the iPhone 4. This app basically allows you to view usage, manage features, and even pay your bill via the app. I’ve been using it to pay my bill for quite a while now. Pretty convenient. If you’re an AT&T customer, go ahead and pick it up, it’s free.

[iTunes Link]

Pano

Pano is an awesome app to stitch together pics on the go. It’ll save them directly in your camera roll. The interface is dead easy to use and once you snap a pic it’ll give you guides to line up your next shot with the previous one. This update fixed several bugs and crashes. Mine was continuously crashing under iOS4 but it doesn’t anymore. If you guys noticed anything different than iOS4 compatibility in this one, let us know!

[iTunes Link]

iOS4 Updated Apps: Osfoora, Agendus, Reeder, AT&T MyWireless, Pano, is a story by TiPb. This feed is sponsored by The iPhone Blog Store.

TiPb - The #1 iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch Blog

I’ll preface this by saying before this review, I’ve hardly laid hands on an Android device, let alone considered throwing my iPhone aside to completely delve into the OS and see if I could actually survive without my iPhone.  In my time with an Android device, the short answer would be that Android would be a perfectly passable everyday phone.  But would I make the switch and ditch my iPhone 4? Hit the jump to find out as well as see tons of videos and a gallery chock full of comparison pics!

Coming to the decision to give Android a try was the easy part.  Then came the tricky part, picking an actual Android device.  With the iPhone it’s simple, the best model is typically the newest model, and with Apple’s current product cycle, there’s only 1 a year to choose from.  Along with that, in the US you have one carrier choice, AT&T.  (Unless of course you want to unlock and use an iPhone on T-Mobile sans 3G.)  I decided the easiest solution would be to stick to AT&T and check out their Android selection.  This proved to be an easier decision on AT&T opposed to other carriers such as Verizon, which carries an abundance of Android powered devices.  My choices were between the HTC Aria and the Samsung Captivate.  Both of which run Android OS version 2.1.  I’ve never been a huge fan of HTC hardware, so I went with the Captivate, and I’m glad I did.

Hardware

YouTube Link

The most obvious thing about a phone, and the first thing you notice is the physical design.  Both of these phones are built extremely well.  When comparing specifically the iPhone 4 and the Captivate, both feel solid in your hand.  The back of the Captivate is a brushed metal with glossy bands on the top and the bottom while the iPhone 4 is a solid slab of glass on the back.  To me, the back of the iPhone 4 may look better, but in everyday use, I somehow feel more comfortable setting the Captivate down on a bare surface naked and not worrying whether or not it’s going to scratch.  One of my only peeves with Apple products are hairline scratches.  The plastic backs of the iPhone 3G and 3GS held up well as far as the white version went.  The black version was a fingerprint magnet and you could see any tiny imperfection.  The iPhone 4 in black holds up better in my experience than the previous models as far as blemishes, but the fingerprints still madden me.  As far as feel, the iPhone 4 still feels more solid in my hand than the Captivate.

The Camera

Both phones sport a 5MP camera.  Neither have too many options.  I’m making this short because in all honesty, I didn’t see too much of a difference.  The iPhone 4 pictures appear to be a tiny bit warmer than the Captivate’s, but besides that and the lack of a flash on the Captivate, they were about even.  I find myself not using the flash on the iPhone 4 unless it’s extremely dark and I’m forced to.  It seems to make everything look washed out in my opinion, so I avoid it whenever I can.

Compatibility

When you use a smartphone, you really have to choose a phone that suits your needs.  What do you do everyday? What are you going to use the device for?  For me, I look for a solid e-mail app, an awesome calendar app, social networking support (and more importantly, the choices you have when it comes to networking applications).  After that comes entertainment value.  And before anything else comes system compatibility.

I remember back before the iPhone when I used Blackberrys and we had to keep a PC laying around solely so I could back up my Berrys and be able to upgrade to the latest leaked OS, as well as sync my content.  Eventually 3rd parties picked up the slack for RIM, but it still wasn’t the most ideal solution.  Eventually RIM came out with a Mac client, but it was too little too late in my opinion.

I was hoping this wouldn’t be the case with Android.  But alas, I could not find an easy way to get my contacts and media on the Captivate.  I eventually asked some trusty folks on Twitter.  Instead of taking several hard routes, I created a new Gmail address and imported my contacts to that address for wireless sync.  Workable but not the most convenient method.  For media, several people recommended DoubleTwist.  It got the job done, but it was somewhat maddening that I had to go through a few different processes just to get content onto the device.  There are also programs like Missing Sync that work well, but a $40 price tag just to have better sync with Mac is somewhat ridiculous.  I understand that several years ago Mac users were a niche group and less than 2% market share.  This is by no means the case anymore, so software manufacturers need to stop leaving out Mac users.  By now, we should have compatibility right out of the gate.

With my iPhone 4, I sync to iTunes and I’m done.  I’m also a MobileMe user so I’ve never had to worry about that content being lost when switching from iPhone to iPhone.  I also found no easy way to get my iCal events onto my Android device.  To me, if I wanted to use the phone in the way I intend, it almost forces you to use not only Gmail but GCal as well.  Since I am a Mac user, the iPhone 4 obviously wins hands down as far as compatibility goes.

Battery Life

We all know iPhones don’t have the best battery life in the world, and I’m not sure about other Android devices, but the Captivate battery life was a little disappointing to me.  I’m a pretty heavy user and receive a lot of e-mails (Rene is an e-mailing machine) and I found it hard to make it through a whole day.  My iPhone 3GS typically stayed on the charger while I was at work just for simplicity’s sake and so I didn’t have to worry about a dead battery, but my iPhone 4 seems to get much better battery life and I don’t worry about it quite as much.  With the Captivate, I found myself wishing I invested in a second charger to take to work and ended up carrying the cable back and forth after 2 days of it being dead by the time I left work for the day.  I’m sure part of that is thanks to the screen.  It’s a sacrifice you’ll have to make if you want 4” of AMOLED goodness I suppose.

Applications

YouTube Link

This is one area I enjoyed exploring.  The Android Marketplace really DOES have tons of apps.  No, they don’t have the same ridiculous number Apple has, but I disagree with Apple’s representation of apps.  When I look at the number of apps a platform has, I want to know how many “quality” apps that platform has.  Leave out all the junk and apps that should have never been approved in the first place, and I’d say the iTunes app store has less than 40,000 quality apps.

I was pleasantly surprised with the selection Android users have.  Any type of app I could possibly want, I have at least 3 choices or more, which in most situations are more than sufficient.  The only area I saw a pretty poor selection in was Twitter clients.  This is probably just me though.  I have more Twitter clients on my iPhone than you can shake a stick at.  And I switch between them – frequently.  I’m flaky when it comes to Twitter clients and I get bored. For any normal person, Android’s growing selection would accommodate most non-mutants just fine.

Now let’s talk native applications.  Google put a lot of thought into basic everyday apps like the phone and texting app.  I absolutely love how you can swipe left and right in your contacts to call or message someone.  That’s ingenious and a really quick way to interact with your contacts.  I’m not sure if these features are unique to Android OS 2.1 or not, but they’re pretty frak’n sweet.  Clicking on someone’s picture within their contact card also gives you additional ways you can interact with that person.  The message app is also very easy to use and overall, I really enjoyed the interface of all the core apps.  The only thing I really did not care for was all the trial and bloatware that comes pre-installed on the device.  I spent 30 minutes clearing out junk before I actually dug into the marketplace and loaded the phone up with things I actually wanted.  This reminds me of the shiver that runs down my spine when you boot up a new PC and see a desktop loaded with nothing but crap.  Hey, maybe Best Buy can start offering Android optimization services as another form of highway robbery. (You can thank me later for the idea Best Buy, just know I’ll be expecting my royalty check every month.)

Once all the bloatware was thrown into a fiery hole of despair, you are left with a 4” canvas of AMOLED goodness to tweak and customize until your heart’s content.  And that leads me to my main focus of this article…..

Android OS vs iOS

YouTube Link

The OS is probably the single most important factor when choosing a phone.  In my experience, I’ve found things about Android that I really like, and then things that I really don’t like.

The main screen on Android OS is pretty much a blank canvas for you to do what you will with.  You can drop icons and reorder them just like you would on the iPhone, but you can also create widgets and customize until your heart’s content.  This is one area Apple really has fallen behind.  My biggest gripe with iOS is the lack of a decent notification system.  In that area, Android wins by a landslide.

The Android OS also gives you a few choices when it comes to keyboards.  I was pretty excited to get to try out Swype.  While it seems to be pretty quick, it still has its quirks.  No matter what keyboard I chose, I found myself lagging behind how quickly I can type on my iPhone.  But to be fair, I have been typing on an iPhone keyboard for over 3 years now.

Android offers a lot of cool gestures and shortcuts in general I wish Apple would take a closer look at.  But there’s also certain things that seem to be overdone.  It seemed I spent a good amount of time figuring out alerts and sounds, as well as configuring general settings.  It seemed a little overwhelming that I could pick alerts for every little thing.  The option is nice but the settings panel is a little confusing.  Sometimes I felt like I didn’t really know what settings I was changing, I had to experiment.  It reminded me somewhat of the 80 billion alerts Blackberry users are presented with.  To me, it was a little overkill.

Conclusion

All in all, I’m glad I decided to give Android a try.  My honest opinion is that it’s a platform that’s got a ridiculous amount of potential.  I think the ideas are all there, but the implementation isn’t quite there yet.  My iPhone does what I want it to do seamlessly (and I know being a Mac user gives me a leg up on PC users in some cases), but either way – the iPhone is so dead easy to use.  I’m basing my conclusions off of iOS 4.  If I were comparing previous releases of iOS to Android, that would be a much tougher decision.  Even though I’m sticking with my iPhone, Android is definitely a platform to keep a close eye on.  And here’s to hoping Apple will step up their game too when it comes to iOS 5 and beyond.  Even though I may be staying on the iPhone side of the fence, I now have a new respect for the platform as well as its users.  Just as I prefer my platform, I can see why tons of power users would choose Android as well.

Thanks to my boss who took tons of excellent hi-res pics for me since I’m too cheap to break down and finally get a DSLR. And a special thanks to @kasperapd as well for lending us some iPhone 4/Evo4G comparison shots (apparently that phone IS rarer than a unicorn!) And as always, we encourage you guys to chime with your comments and thoughts!

iPhone 4 vs Android Captivate is a story by TiPb. This feed is sponsored by The iPhone Blog Store.

TiPb - The #1 iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch Blog

We’re still keeping our eye out for great iOS 4 apps that take advantage of the new APIs and features available to developers under iOS4. We’ve found a couple more good ones to share with you guys, and as always, if you see any good ones, drop ‘em in the comments so we can check them out too!

Foursquare

Even though Foursquare has already received a general update for iOS4, it seems they’re still adding new features. Along with several needed bug fixes, they’ve added support for in-app sms and e-mail as well as more support for iPhone 4 retina display. I was pretty disappointed in Foursquare for quite a while as far as the GPS refreshing and multitasking but it appears this version fixed most of my complaints. It’s nice to see they’re taking an active role in improving the overall user experience.

[iTunes Link]

Pulse News Mini

I took a look at this app about a month ago. It’s still got a ways to come functionality, but its hands down one of the most gorgeous RSS apps available for iOS. I’ve found myself using Pulse for quick reading and using Reeder when I actually want to sit down and catch up on any missed RSS feeds I hadn’t had time to read. This version adds support for the iPhone 4 retina display as well as adding some speed enhancements. It also adds a cool feature where you can bump phones with a friend that uses Pulse and share your feeds and articles. Beats e-mailing them a link for sure.

[iTunes Link]

Paypal

The Paypal app got a much needed update a few months ago that added more core functionality, but since then, it’s somewhat sat stagnant beyond minor bug fixes. It appears this version adds iOS4 support but Paypal hasn’t elaborated on exactly what that entails. I don’t believe there is retina display support (at least it doesn’t look any sharper to me). I’m assuming basic enhancements such as multitasking and better compatibility is what they’ve added. I had a few crashes with the Paypal app on iOS4 but since the update, it appears to be crash free.

[iTunes Link]

iTranslate

I know there’s tons of translation apps out there, but iTranslate still remains one of my favorites. It’s simple and clean. This version adds support for the retina display for iPhone 4 users as well as fast app switching and in-app SMS. If you’re looking for a simple translator, it doesn’t get any easier than this app.  There’s also a plus version and in-app purchase available for text to speech.

[iTunes Link]

eBay Mobile

I’ve been a fan of the eBay mobile app since it came out. It’s been nice to be able to browse through auctions quickly on the go. This update adds support for fast app switching and high resolution images for iPhone 4 users. It also addresses some issues as well as adding an easier Paypal solution in-app. If you haven’t picked it up yet, it’s free. Check it out!

[iTunes Link]

Hope you guys are having as much fun with iOS 4 as we are! Let us know your thoughts on these updates as well as anything you guys may stumble upon that we missed!

iOS 4 App Updates: Foursquare, Pulse News Mini, Paypal, iTranslate, eBay Mobile is a story by TiPb. This feed is sponsored by The iPhone Blog Store.

TiPb - The #1 iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch Blog

It’s been a while since our last iOS 4 compatible apps roundup so we figured it was time for another.  I’ve seen quite a few updates come through in the past week or so but here’s the ones that caught my eye the most.  And as always, if you see any you think are above the curve, let us know in the comments!

Keep reading to see what’s been added this time!

Amazon.com App

Amazon has a pretty appealing iPhone app. I frequently browse it on my iPhone while laying in bed or when I’m sitting somewhere bored. You can not only browse, but manage your account and purchase things. The entire process is pretty simple. Amazon has now added high resolution images to support the iPhone 4’s retina display. Best of all, the app’s free.

[iTunes Link]

SimplyTweet 3

SimplyTweet has long been at the top of my list for great Twitter clients. This time around, it got even better. Their update for iOS4 is probably one of the largest I have seen. They’ve not only added resolution enhancement for iPhone 4, but background uploading, fast app switching, and several other features. This update also seems to fix a lot of bugs. If you’re looking for a more than decent Twitter client and don’t mind dropping around $5, SimplyTweet is right up there with Osfoora and Twitter for iPhone.

[iTunes Link]

Mapquest 4 Mobile

There’s a lot of quality navigation apps out there, but for some of them, you’ll spend a pretty penny. Mapquest 4 Mobile is a very decent GPS app that won’t cost you anything. It’s been updated to support background voice navigation under iOS4. It’s also a very decent app to view common things such as restaurants, gas stations, coffee shops, schools, etc.. I’ve used it for a few weeks now and it suits my navigation needs just fine. If you haven’t tried it yet, it’s free to check it out!

[iTunes Link]

WebMD

WebMD is an incredibly useful tool for looking up a lot of medical issues all in one place. It has features such as a symptom checker, treatment recommendations, and my favorite feature, the pill identification tool. If you’ve ever found random pills in a drawer or the label is peeled off, odds are you can probably narrow it down to a few with this. I’m not exactly sure what all WebMD has added but I’m pretty sure fast app switching is now working (assuming they aren’t just caching like some apps did under 3.x), and it seems to look a little better on the iPhone 4 than it did before. I’m not 100% on this so if anyone knows for sure, drop it in the comments!

[iTunes Link]

Audible

Audible is a great site (and app) to access your digital audiobooks. Once you have an account, you simply sign into the app and it’ll show what you have available. It also gives you a few choices for new users for free (not that great of a selection, but there is some). The app is free and now supports feature in iOS4 such as background downloading and background playback, which is awesome for those of you who want to listen to a book while being able to do other things on your iPhone. It’s a free download in the app store so if you are an audiobook fan, go and grab it!

[iTunes Link]

Those were our favorites, if you guys have some, drop ‘em in the comments for us!

iOS4 apps: Amazon.com, WebMD, SimplyTweet, Mapquest, Audible is a story by TiPb. This feed is sponsored by The iPhone Blog Store.

TiPb - The #1 iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch Blog

Twitter lit up this morning with signs that an iPhone 4 jailbreak and unlock is definitely on it’s way.  On the other side of things, original iPhone Jailbreaker, GeoHot (George Hotz) has apparently deleted his Twitter account and made his blog private. What’s going on? Keep reading.

I noticed this morning @planetbeing had posted a tweet saying a soft unlock had been achieved.  He’s followed up by posting pics of an iPhone 4 running Cydia and a pic showing the phone running on Canadian carrier, Bell.  This is definitely good news for all you iPhone 4 owners itching for your jailbreak and/or unlock.  For end users, a jailbreak may still be a month or two off, but for developers and hackers, this is great news and major progress. @Comex had reported a userland jailbreak not that long ago. Using that, himself and @planetbeing are making great progress.

Now on to GeoHot. He posted up an article talking about his jailbreak for iPhone 4 and what he had posted over the weekend.  I showed a little skepticism about whether or not it was real.  In the past, geohot had always given us a little bit more “actual” proof than what he gave this time.  Apparently in his last blog, he commented that the screen shot actually wasn’t real.

“Sorry, this post was probably a bad idea. Next time I won’t say anything. I miss when this blog was actually about technical things(I’ve been reacting too much to the feedback, which led it to the place it’s in now). I didn’t fully realize most of the current scene don’t care unless they are getting something. Now I do. It’s late tonight, I’ll think about what to do about this in the morning. The real reason behind no release isn’t technical. It’s just that it will never stop, after blackra1n, people demand unlock, after blacksn0w, people demand untethered. I miss the days when jailbreaking and unlocking were difficult, it attracted a much higher caliber crowd. Also, to the haters, the picture is quite obviously fake ”

Geohot got a lot of heat on his own blog and all over the Twitter-verse for his post over the weekend. Many people calling foul and saying his ego had gotten way too large for his own good. I somewhat see his point about it never ending. He’s never charged for his work so people waiting with their hand out can probably get a little irritating at times. Maybe he didn’t handle it in the best manner, but he’s made up his mind (for now anyways).

So to @planetbeing and @comex, congrats and thanks for all your hard work, we’re all just as excited as you are! And to geohot, maybe we’ll see you around again soon?

[via GumballTech, via MobileCrunch]

iPhone 4 Jailbreak and Unlock becomes real just as Geohot leaves the Jailbreak scene is a story by TiPb. This feed is sponsored by The iPhone Blog Store.

TiPb - The #1 iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch Blog

We’re still lurking the App Store for signs of apps that have added iOS 4 support and we’ve found some more good ones. Some apps are only adding compatibility while some really take advantage of the new APIs Apple is offering to developers. Adding compatibility isn’t the same as adding new APIs and features to increase not only user experience, but productivity and ease of use.

Read on to see what ones intrigued us this time.

Apple Store Mobile

I just received this update today and it adds retina display support for images within the Apple Store for iPhone 4 users as well as fast app switching. If you haven’t downloaded this one yet, it’s definitely much more convenient than trying to browse the Apple website within Safari, and it’s free.

[iTunes Link]

Twittelator Pro

Twittelator Pro has always been a serious contender in the race for best Twitter client. A lot of people are hardcore users and follow the platform faithfully. They’ve updated their app with support for fast app switching along with the promise of faster speeds within the app. That’s all they’ve announced, but to me, the icon and app looks a heck of a lot sharper on the iPhone 4. Anyone else notice this?

[iTunes Link]

Reeder

Reeder has been my all-time favorite RSS app on my iPhone for quite a while now. I was happy to see they have now issued an update for iOS4 that supports fast app switching. Reeder would always cache the page even under OS 3.0 but the app just loads so much quicker now, and if you’re actually viewing the real page within the Reeder browser, it won’t kick you out of the article if you close it out, thanks to multitasking.

[iTunes Link]

Echofon

Echofon, like Twittelator Pro is also one of the more popular Twitter clients you’ll find in the App Store.  Recent updates in the past few months have made this client all the better.  They offer a free version and a paid version (sans the ads).  Echofon also offers push notifications and many of the advanced features clients like Twitter for iPhone and Twitteriffic offer.  This update added fast app switching and retina display support for iPhone 4 users.  If you haven’t updated, go check it out!

[iTunes Link]

GoodReader

GoodReader is not only a PDF viewer but a program that will allow USB file transfer between devices.  It also provides wifi syncing as well which is awesome for transferring large PDF and text files to your iPhone from your computers.  I find this especially useful for work documents such as Excel files and large resolution images.  GoodReader also carriers a free version, but you’re limited to transferring 5 files at a time.  The iOS4 update allows for fast app switching.  It does appear they have a bug in iOS4 that affects USB file transfer, and I’m not sure whether they’ve fixed that and just not updated the description, or if it’s still present.  I haven’t had any issues, how about you guys?

[iTunes Link]

iOS 4 updated Apps: Twittelator Pro, GoodReader, Echofon, Reeder, Apple Store Mobile App is a story by TiPb. This feed is sponsored by The iPhone Blog Store.

TiPb - The #1 iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch Blog

The dev team recently released a new PwnageTool that will allow you to jailbreak iOS4 on your iPhone or iPod touch. Since we covered that, the dev team has upgraded the PwnageTool to 4.0.1.  This is our walkthrough of  how to jailbreak devices running iOS4. As always here’s our disclaimer;

If you are in any way, shape, or form hesitant to jailbreak your device, don’t!  We take no responsibility for whatever damage you may do to your device during or after the process.  Jailbreaking should typically be reserved for semi-advanced to advanced users.  Preliminary jailbreaks can sometimes cause more problems.  This jailbreak is NOT as simple as a button click like blackra1n or Spirit.  If that’s what you’d prefer, wait for that… pass on this one.”

If you’re alright with all of that, hit the jump to see if your device can currently be jailbroken/unlocked and how to do it.

Sorry I don’t have a video for you guys this time, I had my 3GS swapped due to it bricking hardcore, and I have the newer baseband, but for now, here’s a nice walkthrough. I’ll update with a video when the dev team has a solution for newer basebands on 4.0.

iPhone Family (Mac Only)

• Not currently supported, so please don’t attempt as you may damage your phone. As with all new hardware, you’ll have to wait a bit for an update that supports iPhone 4.

• New bootrom: No
• Old bootrom and haven’t ever jailbroken with Spirit but HAVE been jailbroken before: yes, you can jailbreak
• An easy way to tell if you have an older or newer bootrom is to check your serial, if the 4th and 5th digits are 40 or less, you’ve got an older bootrom. (ie – if my serial was 8B4387323 I’d be okay as my phone’s 4th and 5th digits are 38)

• Easiest way, just use redsn0w regardless of your situation, it should work, or follow the directions below

iPod Family (Mac and Windows)

• The second generation iPod touch is currently the ONLY iPod touch that is compatible with PwnageTool 4.0.1 at this time.  If you have a first or third generation, you’ll have to wait a bit longer. Either follow the directions below for second generation iPods or use redsn0w if you have a non-MC model of the 2nd gen iPod touch, basically older bootrom)

Instructions

Alright, now that we’ve determined whether or not you’re capable of jailbreaking, I’m assuming you’d only be reading this if you’re “certain” you can.  Here’s what you need to do:

1. Back up your iPhone/iPod in iTunes
2. Download PwnageTool here from the official source or one of the many mirrors
3. Make sure your device is connected and open PwnageTool
4. PwnageTool will ask you to select your device (I always select expert mode by the way, it will give you more choices when building your custom firmware – for iPhone 3G users who would like to activate the multi-tasking functionality, etc, you’ll need to select expert mode and further down in the process, you’ll be able to select an option that will enable features like multitasking, it may lag though, so consider yourself warned.)
5. Then select Next and PwnageTool will browse for firmwares on your computer. If for some reason your computer does not find them, you can get firmwares from here. (Remember to make SURE you are downloading the correct firmware for your device.  iPhone 1st gen = 1,1 – iPhone 3G = 1,2 – iPhone 3GS = 2,1 – iPhone 4 = 3,1
6. After PwnageTool finds your correct firmware or you have browsed to the firmware you have downloaded, click next.
7. (Simple Mode, skip to step 11) If you selected expert most, you will now get a screen asking you to customize your build, select general at the very least, and typically Cydia packages, if you’d like the pineapple logo instead of the Apple logo, select Custom Logos then click next.
8. Next you will get a screen asking you to partition your space for jailbreak stuff (you don’t have to). It’ll also ask you if you’d like to activate, uncheck this if you’re on AT&T and not unlocking.
9. The next screen will allow you to select custom packages you’d like pre-installed. Select what you want and click next again.
10. Select your custom boot logos or browse for your own and click Next.
11. Select Build on this screen, it’ll prompt you for a location to save your custom IPSW, I normally save this to my desktop. (Oh, don’t stray too far away from your computer, you’ll probably be asked for an admin password at some point during the build process).
12. Once your bundle is done you’ll need to open iTunes and put your phone into DFU mode. Simply turn your phone completely off, open iTunes, and hold down your home button until iTunes recognizes there is an iPhone/iPod in recovery mode.
13. Next hold down alt+option on your keyboard and click restore, navigate to your custom firmware you just built and restore from that. If all went well, your iPhone/iPod should reboot jailbroken!

Unlocking iPhone 3G and 3GS

As ultrasn0w now supports ALL versions of iPhone basebands, if your jailbreak was successful, you just need to install ultrasn0w via Cydia and you’ll be unlocked!

If you have any questions or concerns with this process, feel free to leave them in the comments, forums, contact me on Twitter @iMuggle, or shoot me a quick e-mail at ally.kazmucha@tipb.com! Happy jailbreaking!

How to jailbreak iOS 4 is a story by TiPb. This feed is sponsored by The iPhone Blog Store.

TiPb - The #1 iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch Blog

We’ve been covering some of the new and notable iOS 4 updates as we find them going live in the App Store, but Apple’s new Awesome iOS 4 Apps section in the iTunes App Store has just made that task a little easier.

Check them out to see Apple’s favorites, and hit the jump to see some more of ours…

[iTunes via TechCrunch]

Bejeweled 2

I think Bejeweled 2 was one of the first games I downloaded (ok that’s probably an exaggeration), but it’s one of the ones that sticks in my head as an all time favorite. It’s extremely addicting and links up with Bejeweled Blitz so if you have Facebook, you can show off your scores on Facebook as well. Bejeweled 2 has added fast app switching support as of now.

[iTunes Link]

Instapaper

An incredibly useful app just got even more useful. Instapaper has added multitasking support as of now and say they’ll have more updates to come. For those of you not familiar with Instapaper, it allows you to save web pages for offline reading at your convenience. So if you’re bored in class or at work and you happen to be somewhere with sucky service, Instapaper is awesome.

[iTunes Link]

iTeleport

iTeleport is an amazing app that allows you to access your desktop computer from anywhere. It is compatible with Mac and PC. Have a file you forgot to send before you left home? Use iTeleport to log in to your home computer and send it to yourself. Easy as that!

[iTunes Link]

Articles

Articles is definitely one of the better Wikipedia sources out there. If you’re looking for a good reference app that’s got an awesome layout and pleasing to the eye, you won’t get any better. Especially since it’s now completely compatible with iOS4 and adds not only multitasking support but optimization for the retina display for iPhone 4.

[iTunes Link]

Twitterrific

The grand daddy of iPhone Twitter apps has once again gone back to the drawing board for version 3.0, this time drawing inspiration from the simplicity and focus forced by their iPad re-design. That’s right — it’s a universal binary so you only need to buy it once. It’s free but you can co ad-free and multi-account with an in-app purchase (which applies to both iPad and iPhone version).

[iTunes link]

Like always, if you see any that are your favorites, send us a tip or a comment!

iOS 4 updated: Bejeweled 2, Instapaper, iTeleport, Articles, Twitterrific, and Apple’s Awesome iOS 4 apps is a story by TiPb. This feed is sponsored by The iPhone Blog Store.

TiPb - The #1 iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch Blog