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Apps are, at the end of the day, very personal pieces of software. And your favorite mobile app isn’t mine. So we decided to poll the staff here at GigaOM to see what apps changed our lives in 2011. It could be apps that just launched this year, or it could be programs that really came of age or matured greatly through updates. Or it could just be an app we missed before. Some are very familiar but others may be new to you, but all have played a big part in our lives this year. Take a look and then tell us your favorite app in the comments. Android typically takes a backseat to iOS when it comes to getting slick apps. That’s why it’s so refreshing that Hipmunk, the travel search engine, put real time and effort into making its Android app just as awesome as its web and iOS offerings. Shopping for plane tickets in general can be a real headache, and doing it on a mobile device is usually impossible. But I’ve priced out and purchased plane tickets with this app, and it’s a pleasure to use. Path is great because it’s a beautiful-looking tool for people who might not share a lot of content, but like to keep on top of what their friends are doing without feeling overwhelmed. It feels like Facebook did before apps, games and the need to monetize made it a noisy, privacy nightmare. Path’s relatively pristine environment probably can’t last, but for now, that’s what makes it great. This is the best if you’re regularly passing through cities on short notice. It does what it says: finds you a hotel for tonight only. But they don’t bombard you with options. Hotel Tonight helpfully curates the lodging choices for you: there’s usually just a couple to pick from among the categories basic, hip and luxury. They have relationships with the hotels so using it is a snap. I used this to locate the best local hotel deals night-to-night when we were between apartments in our new city. And it’s especially helpful if you want to make a last-minute trip to pricey cities like New York, Chicago and Los Angeles. This free app is a must have for transferring files from an Android device to any other device on the same Wi-Fi network. Works as a small web server on your Android and shows up as a Read More

Screenshot of Foursquare 4.0 Radar (click to enlarge) Foursquare on Wednesday launched a new version of its mobile application for the iPhone, Foursquare 4.0. The biggest change in Foursquare 4.0 is the addition of an opt-in feature called Radar, which is made possible by the latest version of Apple’s iOS mobile operating system, iOS 5. Radar sends notifications to users based on where they are to remind them to check-in. These alerts are triggered in several ways: when users are close to a place they’ve added to their To-Do list, when they’re close to a place that’s on a Foursquare list they follow, or when three or more friends are checked into a nearby venue. The Radar feature works whether the Foursquare app is open or not, the company said in a blog post. Radar is an interesting extension of Foursquare’s lists feature, which made its debut in August. Now that the app knows about places a user hopes to visit, vs only knowing about places she’s visited in the past, a feature like Radar can be useful instead of annoying. In all, it seems like a smart evolution for Foursquare, which has been on a growth and R&D tear since it secured $50 million in new venture capital in June. Related research and analysis from GigaOM Pro:Subscriber content. Sign up for a free trial. Read More

by Foursquare has released version 4.0 of its iPhone app with a new feature called Radar that informs users about stuff happening nearby. Radar leverages new functionality available in Apple’s iOS 5 SDK — specifically “region monitoring.” Once you opt in to Radar, Foursquare will send you push notifications when you’re nearby places on the Foursquare lists that you’ve created and the lists that you follow, Alex Rainert, Foursquare head of product, tells Mashable. The application will also alert you when three or more friends are checked in at a location within walking distance. Radar is a big step in the direction of Foursquare’s vision, says Rainert. “This is something that we have been working on since Apple first released the SDK,” he adds. “We’re excited to see it in the wild … and learn from that.” Foursquare will add Radar to its other mobile applications in the months ahead. “Radar is core to what we want to do. It’s important to us to have it available to all of our users,” says Rainert Foursquare version 4.0 is already live in App Store, but it requires the user to also update to iOS 5. Read More

The last Foursquare update was a bit more significant than just in-line picture sharing, as it turns out. The pioneer in location-based social networking has expanded their check-in service to include more than just physical locations. Now you can check in to events that are only going within a set timeframe, with custom UI elements for sports events, movies, and concerts. Foursquare is teaming up with a variety of partners to populate their event database, so no user-created events for now, unfortunately. On the plus side, it means that when you check in to a theatre, you can also share which movie you’re watching. Traditionally, Foursquare stuck with sharing where you’re spending your time, and offering points, mayorships, and badges as incentives to participate. Other social networks like GetGlue have been around to share what kind of entertainment you’re enjoying, but as we can see, these two things are quickly starting to overlap. Foursquare is also working on a Lists feature, so you can keep tabs on the best Chinese restaurants in town, or your favourite coffee shops and share them. The feature is live on the web version, but is not yet available on mobile. To be fair, Gowalla has been doing events for awhile now, so they deserve at least a teeny bit of credit for blazing the trail. Despite Facebook, Google, and now Microsoft getting into the location-based social network game, Foursquare still has a strong following, and I suspect as the types of events supported grows, the following will only increase. If you’d like to check it out, Foursquare can be found over here in the App Store. Simon Sage’s education largely surrounded writing, technology and online community, leading him to begin his blogging career at www.BlackBerryCool.com and to quickly discover a vibrant and active community surrounding BlackBerry and mobile technology. In exploring RIM’s platform, he has learned what enterprises are looking for in mobility as well as what makes the innocuous BlackBerry so appealing to them. Recently Simon’s been covering RIM’s gradual move into an already-crowded consumer market, and the impact of burgeoning challengers, such as the iPhone, as well as long-time leaders, like Nokia, on BlackBerry’s advancement. With plenty of content under his belt, Simon will be branching off a bit to see what other smartphone manufacturers are working on while still using BlackBerry as a barometer. At IntoMobile, you can count on his posts being Read More

MG Siegler is a general partner at CrunchFund and a columnist for TechCrunch, where he has been writing since 2009. His focus is on Apple. Prior to TechCrunch, MG covered various technology beats for VentureBeat. Originally from Ohio, MG attended the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor, MI. He’s previously lived in Los Angeles where he worked in Hollywood and in... → Learn More Back in the day, the knock on the Foursquare iPhone app used to be that it wasn’t very visually appealing. That was especially true in comparison to rival Gowalla. But much has changed over the past several months. And now that Foursquare has big funding and a larger team to deal with the pains of fast growth, they’ve been putting a lot of emphasis into how things look and feel. And it’s paying off. Today brings an update to the iPhone app which is brings a new coat of polish. Most notably, you’ll see that pictures are now displayed inline when you’re viewing your check-in activity stream. This matches the functionality that was recently added to the Foursquare website. It not only ups the visual appeal, it makes the service feel more alive and personal. This new, more visual experience permeates the entire app. If you land on a venue page and click through to see who is there, if any of your friends are, you’ll see their photos and shouts from that place inline as well. With the update, Foursquare is also touting overall design tweaks including a cleaned-up header. One thing that will please many users is the addition of bigger tap targets within the app. Previously, you had to focus to click on the tiny comment bubbles to leave a comment. Now you can click on the entire check-in itself to do that. One thing not yet included in this update: Lists. The new feature that Foursquare rolled out yesterday to their website is still a work in progress on the mobile end. But it’s coming in the next version, they promise. Also, all of these new features are due in the Android and BlackBerry apps shortly. The iPhone app should be live shortly. When it is, find it here. This slideshow requires JavaScript. Foursquare is a geographical location based social network that incorporates gaming elements. Users share their location with friends by “checking in” via a smartphone app or by text message. Points Read More

MG Siegler is a general partner at CrunchFund and a columnist for TechCrunch, where he has been writing since 2009. His focus is on Apple. Prior to TechCrunch, MG covered various technology beats for VentureBeat. Originally from Ohio, MG attended the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor, MI. He’s previously lived in Los Angeles where he worked in Hollywood and in... → Learn More Back in the day, the knock on the Foursquare iPhone app used to be that it wasn’t very visually appealing. That was especially true in comparison to rival Gowalla. But much has changed over the past several months. And now that Foursquare has big funding and a larger team to deal with the pains of fast growth, they’ve been putting a lot of emphasis into how things look and feel. And it’s paying off. Today brings an update to the iPhone app which is brings a new coat of polish. Most notably, you’ll see that pictures are now displayed inline when you’re viewing your check-in activity stream. This matches the functionality that was recently added to the Foursquare website. It not only ups the visual appeal, it makes the service feel more alive and personal. This new, more visual experience permeates the entire app. If you land on a venue page and click through to see who is there, if any of your friends are, you’ll see their photos and shouts from that place inline as well. With the update, Foursquare is also touting overall design tweaks including a cleaned-up header. One thing that will please many users is the addition of bigger tap targets within the app. Previously, you had to focus to click on the tiny comment bubbles to leave a comment. Now you can click on the entire check-in itself to do that. One thing not yet included in this update: Lists. The new feature that Foursquare rolled out yesterday to their website is still a work in progress on the mobile end. But it’s coming in the next version, they promise. Also, all of these new features are due in the Android and BlackBerry apps shortly. The iPhone app should be live shortly. When it is, find it here. This slideshow requires JavaScript. Foursquare is a geographical location based social network that incorporates gaming elements. Users share their location with friends by “checking in” via a smartphone app or by text message. Points Read More

So you’ve got your new iPhone, you’ve activated it with iTunes and now you’re keen to get started – but modern smartphone ownership is all about the apps, and without them there isn’t all that much to do.  But with the App Store brimming with more than 400,000 apps to download, how does a new user know where to start? This is where you need our iPhone Starter Kit!  Here are ten applications you should download to get the most out of your new device.  They’re going to cost a total of $13.93/£9.73 (excluding the GPS apps), but we consider them to be standout examples of their genre, and worth every penny. Even though we’ve not included the usual social networking apps such as Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn and Foursquare, they’re all available too. There’s a reason Camera+ usually turns up on must-have iPhone apps lists, it’s really good!  Aside from adding funky effects to your photos, you can adjust the focus and exposure, add flash-fill and edit snaps after you’ve taken them.  Camera+ brings your iPhone 4’s camera to life.  $1.99/£1.49. Want to see what your new phone is capable of in terms of graphics?  Then Infinity Blade really will deliver the goods!  The game may not have a huge amount of depth, but it’s good fun, looks astonishing and should keep you occupied for a long time.  $5.99/£3.99. Why spend money on SMS messages when you can converse with friends for free?  Provided you convince all your friends to install WhatsApp (it’s cross-platform, so Android, BlackBerry and Symbian are all covered) you can avoid SMS charges and only pay for data – meaning if you’re connected to Wi-Fi, your conversations won’t cost anything!  $0.99/£0.69. Mobile gaming is all about filling those few minutes you have spare, so you’ll need a game which doesn’t take an age to learn but is still addictive and enjoyable.  Hard Lines is a cross between Tron’s Lightcycles and the old mobile classic Snake, and fits the bill perfectly.  Careful though, five minutes can easily turn into 30 with this one!  $1.99/£1.49. It’s odd that this isn’t a standard application, as it allows you to locate your iPhone should it go missing.  We’ve got a guide on how to set it all up once you’ve downloaded the app.  Free. Why not add some spice to your photos, and get started with one of the best photo Read More

By Rene Ritchie, Monday, Jul 18, 2011 | TiPb’s developer spotlights are like DVD/iTunes Extras for the App Store — a weekly look behind the scenes at the programers and designers that bring you the iPhone, iPod touch, and iPad apps and games you love. This week Rene talks with Jonathan George and Josh Viney of Boxcar. What should we call you? Jonathan George, Josh Viney What should we call your company? Boxcar (App Remix Corp.) Where are you located? Wichita, KS and NYC What’s your website address? http://boxcar.io What apps do you make? Boxcar What apps, other than your own, are currently among your favorites? Jonathan: iA Writer, Tumblr, Alien Blue (unofficial Reddit client), Instapaper, Calendar. Josh: Foursquare, Calculator, Netflix, Instagram, Words with Friends How long have you been a developer? Jonathan: Developer / 16 years, Entrepreneur / born with it. . Josh: Product Manager / UX Designer 12 years How long have you been an iOS developer? Jonathan/Josh: ~3 years Do you develop for any other platform in addition to iOS? Jonathan/Josh: Web What primary computer setup do you use for your iOS development? Josh: Macbook Air. Jonathan: MBP 15″ + 27″ Dell Monitor What iOS device(s) do you personally use most often? Josh/Jonathan: iPhone 4 and iPad What mobile devices, other than iOS, do you currently use? None. What’s your favorite thing about developing for iOS? Josh: Mobile interfaces that don’t suck, and being able to reach a wide audience. Jonathan: Being able to immediately show (and relate what you’re doing) to people you interact with everyday. What’s your least favorite thing about developing for iOS? Josh: It can be tough to QA and changes can’t be made as quickly as on Web. Jonathan: Apple’s draconian, yet understandable, policies around the app store. What feature would you most like Apple to add to the iOS 5 SDK? Josh: Make call and sms data available via API. Jonathan: Greater flexibility around notifications What feature would you most like Apple to add to the App Store? Josh: Better ways for people to tell their friends about their favorite apps. Jonathan: More insight and analytics into where your users are coming from. If we were to eavesdrop on you while you were coding, what curse word would we hear you use the most? Josh: The usual, but louder and with more frequency. Jonathan: “What the f–k?” What do you do when Read More

Erick Schonfeld is the Editor in Chief of TechCrunch. He oversees the editorial content of the site, helps to program the Disrupt conferences and CrunchUps, produces TCTV shows, and writes daily for the blog. He is also the father of three adorable children. He joined TechCrunch as Co-Editor in 2007, and helped take it from a popular... → Learn More In retail, businesses that speed up the check-out process get more business. With Foursquare, it is speeding up the check-in process, which should get people to use it even more. A new release of its iPhone app puts a new check-in button smack in the middle bottom of the app, removing at least one step to check-in bliss. Before, you had to hit the “Places” button first. Then pick a place, and then check in. Now the Places button is gone, replaced by the Check-In button, which brings up nearby places. You select one and then check in. So what used to be three steps, is now two. The fewer steps an app requires of users, the more they will tend to use it. Remove barriers and people will flock to your product. At least that’s the theory. Hey, it works in retail. Another new feature is a “Specials” button in the Explore tab. Now you can Explore by nearby specials. Now that specials are easier to find maybe more people will take advantage of them, and more merchants will offer them. Foursquare is a geographical location based social network that incorporates gaming elements. Users share their location with friends by “checking in” via a smartphone app or by text message. Points are awarded for checking in at various venues. Users can connect their Foursquare accounts to their Twitter and Facebook accounts, which can update when a check in is registered. By checking in a certain number of times, or in different locations, users can collect virtual badges. In addition, users... Sponsored Ads Sponsored Ads Sponsored Ads Read More

School’s out and it’s time for a break from work. Curious which are the absolute best apps and games to take with you on your much deserved summer vacation? Odds are you’ll want to share your adventures, brush up on local attractions, and stay connected while you’re having fun. Luckily there are tons of apps available in the App Store that makes organizing and sharing your vacation from your iPhone super simple. Whether you want informational apps for your own use or social apps to share, we’ve got you covered. Read on for TiPb’s top 10 most recommended, most must-have summer vacation apps to get your started. For regular everyday check-ins, I typically use Foursquare. But for trips, Gowalla wins hands down. It acts as somewhat of a “digital passport”. They offer stamps and pins for completing trips and checking in at certain places (similar to Foursquare badges). You can also upload pictures and comments on places that you’ve traveled to. Sometimes you’ll pick up items when you check into places. You can either drop them elsewhere for someone else to find (and to become a founder of a place), or you can choose to add them to your pack where they’ll permanently stay. I’ll typically drop items I’ve picked up more than one of and save more rare and unique items in my pack. Gowalla also allows you to share check-ins and pictures to Twitter and Facebook as well which makes it even easier to let your friends and family follow along with your adventures. I use Instagram on almost a daily basis but it’s especially cool for sharing pictures on vacation. Not only does it upload your images to a plethora of services (Twitter, Facebook, etc) – you can also add all kinds of cool filter effects to your photos before uploading them. I’ve always found uploading photos directly to Facebook to be hit or miss. I always use Instagram now. It’s fast and connects to all the services I want to share to. The user interface is simple and uploading a photo only takes seconds, which is great when you’re constantly on the go and just want to share a quick snapshot. While you may have already loaded some GPS and navigation apps, you’ll also want to make sure you have additional information about certain places. TripAdvisor is a great app to find out about hotels and attractions. Read More