Quora for iPhone retains most of the functionality of its desktop web version. Users can browse their activity feed, view questions, follow questions, vote on answers, add answers and add questions. It also includes a notifications feed, search functionality and the ability to manage your profile and view others. Quora has also added a shuffle feature that pulls up a random question from anywhere on the site.

Quora co-founder Charlie Cheever told Mashable that the app was designed with the consumption experience in mind. People don’t want to write long answers on their iPhones, he said, but Quora has given users the ability to add them if, say, they’re on a long train ride.

The big new feature Quora is introducing in its iPhone app is a “nearby” tab that lets users find questions related to their location. For example, I’m able to use the app to see questions people have asked about Russian Hill, my neighborhood in San Francisco. This nearby content will grow exponentially as more people use the iPhone app to create questions about local institutions and neighborhoods.

The app is missing a key feature though: the ability to take a photo and turn it into a question. The iPhone is ideal for asking a question through a photo. Asking the community to identify a plant or animal via an iPhone photo makes a lot of sense. For its part, Quora says this feature is coming.

Co-founded by Cheever and former Facebook CTO Adam D’Angelo, Quora was a darling of the technology world in 2010 and early 2011, but eventually lost the spotlight. Since then, the company has been focused on improving its technology and diversifying its content. The company points to food, filmmaking and even law enforcement as recent areas of expansion, though Quora declined to reveal any stats about the site’s growth (one thing it did reveal, though: New York, not San Francisco, is its largest and most active city).

For now that’s fine, but eventually Quora will have to find a way to market its content to the public. The content has retained its high quality though — its greatest advantage against mainstays such as Yahoo Answer and Answers.com

What do you think of Quora’s iPhone app? Do you use Quora?

[Thanks: http://mashable.com]

According to Mashable‘s sources, the social network may also introduce its latest iPhone app, potentially revamped in HTML5, at the same event.

The app has been long-awaited. In July, iPad-wielding Facebookers were given a taste of what may come when screenshots of the app were leaked. The app has been in development for over a year and just this morning Jeff Verkoeyen, the former iPad app lead engineer, quit out of frustration.

Verkoeyen said on his blog that the app was “feature complete,” or the step just prior to release for testing, since May. His frustration stemmed, however, from Facebook’s decision to push the release date back on more than one occasion. He has since removed the information about the app from his post, according to Business Insider.

The push back may have stemmed from Apple and Facebook’s shaky relationship, potentially due to a rumored Facebook product code-named “Project Spartan.” The product is supposedly an HTML5 web app aimed at allowing Facebook to circumvent Apple’s app store. But it seems that with all the labor put into this iPad app-baby, it will actually be born. The mobile and social giants may even partner on “Project Spartan,” according to Mashable’s sources, who also note the “Project Spartan” moniker is not used internally.

Facebook may also release a new iPhone app built in HTML5 at the event. LinkedIn recently redesigned its own iPhone app using HTML5 and coding language Node.js. The new app was very well received upon release.

We have reached out to Facebook and Apple for comment and will update upon hearing back.

[Thanks: http://venturebeat.com]

Apple has sent out invitations to select members of the media for an event being hosted on its Cupertino campus on October 4 at 10:00 a.m. PT. The event, which leaked last week, is slated to focus on the iPhone as evidenced by a subtle tagline on the invitation that reads “Let’s talk iPhone.”

Apple is expected to announce iOS 5, and as many as two new iPhone handsets making the rounds as the iPhone 4S and iPhone 5. In addition to the newly-minted iOS 5, Apple is also expected to take the wraps off its iCloud service which has been in testing with developers alongside iOS 5 for months.

Recent rumors suggest that Facebook may present its long-awaited iPad-native app and an overhauled iPhone app at the event, but the rumors iOS-level FB integration should be taken with a grain of salt.

What else can we deduce from the invite?

[Thanks: http://www.zdnet.com]

Is Facebook’s long-awaited iPad app going to make its debut at Apple’s iPhone 5 unveiling event, which is expected to take place Oct. 4?

That’s the rumor, according to Ben Parr of Mashable, who says his unnamed sources have told him a Facebook iPad app will be announced at Apple’s iPhone 5 event along with a new Facebook iPhone app and maybe even an HTML5-based mobile app store.

Apple and Facebook officials weren’t available for comment on the report Monday, although Apple always declines to comment on speculation. And, so far, Apple has yet to confirm that the next-generation iPhone will be announced Oct. 4 or even be called the iPhone 5.

But the information, while exciting to those who have been waiting months for a Facebook app on the iPad, does have some odd aspects given that the event will no doubt be focused on the iPhone 5 (or iPhone 4S, or whatever name Apple gives its new iPhone).

The announcement of a Facebook iPad app and a new iPhone app would make sense at an Apple event if the apps were shown taking advantage of some new features in iOS 5, the latest version of Apple’s iPhone, iPod Touch and iPad operating system, which will ship on the iPhone 5.

But it’s also worth keeping in mind that iOS 5 places Twitter front and center.

Twitter, not Facbeook, is the social network built into iOS 5 and integrating into the iPhone’s photos, contacts and Safari Web browser apps. It has been reported that Apple at one point wanted to integrate Facebook into iOS 5 before going with Twitter, but that obviously didn’t happen.

Mark Zuckerberg, Facebook’s chief executive and co-founder, showed off what his social network’s new Timeline-style profile pages would look like on an iPhone at the company’s F8 developer conference keynote last week and that would either have to be presented in a updated app or maybe an HTML5 version of Facebook.

The one bit of Parr’s information that seems to me to be unrealistic is that Facebook would launch an HTML5-built mobile app store of its own at the Apple iPhone 5 unveiling. Apple has built a major business on selling apps for its devices through its iTunes App Store and now its Mac App Store.

Why in the world would Apple want to let Facebook unveil an app store of its own that operated outside of the Apple ecosystem? Why would Apple give stage time to Facebook apps, and not iPhone or iPad apps, at an event announcing a new iPhone equipped with a new version of its own operating system?

However, if Parr’s sources are correct and Apple, the world’s most valuable tech company, and Facebook, the world’s most valuable and most popular social network, were to team up for an app store, it could be huge and a threat to both Google’s Android operating system and the Google+ social network.

We’ll all find out what’s what when Apple unveils its next iPhone.

[Thanks: http://latimesblogs.latimes.com]

Google just rolled out a beefy update to the official Google+ iPhone app which includes the ability to enter a video chat while mobile with other mobile users or users on a personal computer with a webcam. If a friend starts a hangout stream on Google+, the user can simply click “Join” and the video screen appears on the iPhone. As new people join the hangout, notifications pop up on the iPhone screen and the user can add any of these people to a circle during the video stream. The app also allows the users to switch between the two cameras on the smartphone as well as mute the audio in case the user needs to switch to headphones for a private call.

In addition to mobile hangout support, the Huddle feature has been rebranded to Messenger and allows for photo support. Photos can be snapped immediately or brought up from the photo library. Users also now have the ability to +1 comments within the app as well as view a map within the profile for previous homes throughout the life of the profile. Google has also given the user vastly more control over specific notifications. For instance, users can turn notifications on and off when being tagged within a photo or when another user requests a tag. Other notification tweaks include comments, shares, mentions, follow-up comments or when another user adds them to a circle.

Beyond a smattering of bug fixes to round out the new version, this update doesn’t include iPad support. Users will need to use the Web version of Google+ or the iPhone app in zoom mode if browsing on an iPad. Rival social network Facebook has yet to release an iPad-optimized version as well and will likely continue to rely on the Web version of the site in the future.

[Thanks: http://www.digitaltrends.com]

Now you can take Turntable.fm to go with its new iPhone app. It provides all the features you’ve come to know and love in the browser-based version — creating and joining listening rooms, virtual DJing, chatting and social media integration — in a pint-sized capacitive touchscreen form.

Turntable.fm is one of a number of music-streaming services to attract a following in recent years. Spotify, which has Android and iPhone apps, is one option. Rdio, which offers offline syncing, has iPhone and iPad apps. And Pandora remains a classic in the music-discovery arena.

The layout and user experience of the Turntable.fm iOS app is much like that of the Turntable.fm website.

After opening the app for the first time, you log in through Facebook (like with the web version) before arriving at the familiar main screen: A tidy list of rooms with the name, the song playing there, the number of people listening in and the number of DJs. You can search for a specific room or create your own.

Once you’ve entered a room like, say, “Coding Soundtrack,” you’ve got your avatar-filled virtual jam space with a “This song is … Lame or Awesome” meter at the bottom and up to five DJs seated across the top of the screen. Selecting an individual avatar in the room (to follow, or just check out their name) is all but impossible unless there’s only three or four people in there, a problem often shared on the browser version.

In the upper right, you can access the chat log and your queue or share what you’re listening to on Facebook or Twitter, or through e-mail. If you’re DJing from the iPhone, rather than a Mac, Windows or Chromebook laptop, your avatar is (appropriately) holding an iPhone.

If you exit the app while you’re still in a room, music will continue to play.

Generally, the app is slower than its web-based counterpart. It took me a few seconds to enter any room, and another three to five for the song to start playing. And of course, you’ll sacrifice streaming quality for portability by using your phone’s 3G connection. Occasionally, my music would cut out for a few seconds. That’s the price of admission with a streaming mobile app.

With Turntable.fm’s iPhone app, you and your friends can easily take turns playing DJ without breaking out a laptop, making it ideal when you’re out and about at a park, or at a coffee shop that’s playing less-than-stellar beats (just use your headphones, please!).

[Thanks: http://www.wired.com]

Since that news was revealed earlier, the website guesses that GameStop looks to stock up on its trade-ins of these devices before offering the new models such as the imminent iPhone 5 (4S … 4G?). Of course, this wouldn’t be a terrible idea. Mobile gaming is in a renaissance of sorts at the moment, with everyone wanting a piece of that pie and putting their best foot forward to break out in a big way in the space.

With a storefront on Facebook and now reportedly embracing the mobile gaming revolution, GameStop appears to realize (finally) that it needs to adapt to the changing games industry. As a forewarning, however: If you’re going to buy an iPad or iPhone from GameStop, make sure to buy it new–this is complex hardware we’re talking about here. (And have you seen those used consoles the stores offer? I’ll pass.)

[Thanks: http://blog.games.com]

Dolphin for the iPhone version 1.0 offers features like the Webzine, which presents web pages in an easy to read article format, Gestures to quickly perform custom functions, easy, one-click sharing to Facebook or Twitter, the Speed Dial to access bookmarks quickly, tabbed browsing, SideBars that contain bookmarks and tool bars, the customizable MenuBar, and customizable user agents. Users of Dolphin for Android should feel right at home with the iPhone version.

Dolphin for iPhone is free and available in the iTunes App Store now. Take a look at the video below to see the Dolphin Browser in action on the various platforms it is available.

[Thanks: http://www.mobileburn.com]

An Apple TV, which would run the company’s operating system, would allow people to do many things with their televisions they cannot do now. The most important of these would probably be the ability to run Apple apps. This would permit consumers to download applications from Apple’s store which has hundreds of thousands of products. The Apple TV would allow people to switch from Facebook to Google to their calendars all on one device in the living room.

Apple’s risk of failure is greater than it was in the multimedia, smartphone, and tablet markets. The iPod was launched into market in which multimedia devices were cumbersome and a great deal of music was pirated. The iPod was a first-of-its-kind device with seamless controls. The related ITunes store was a single stop shop for what became thousands and thousands of songs, all available at one place.

The iPhone was released when the smartphone industry was in its early stages. It was a sector dominated by Research in Motion’s Blackberry, which was much more a business device than a consumer one. Apple was able to use its iPod brand success to sell the iPhone. And, the much-used Google (GOOG) Android operating system reached the market well after the iPhone was far down its road of success. The iPad was also early into the tablet PC market. It benefited from the wild popularity of the iPhone and the App Store–a ready place for consumers to personalize their tablets.

Apple’s risk is that the TV market is already crowded. A number of large consumer electronics companies make screens. More importantly, the television in the consumer’s home is already attached to an array of powerful boxes from NetFlix, cable companies, satellite TV firms, and game console manufactures which include Microsoft and Sony.

[Thanks: http://www.dailyfinance.com]

Ness learns over time and builds a “taste profile” of you. The more it learns, the better the recommendations, a la Pandora. Facebook and Foursquare recommendations and check-ins from friends all show up on the Ness search results page.

The app makes recommendations by crunching together your taste profile, your similarity to other people, recommendations from friends, and overall popularity ratings.

The company’s Likeness Engine gives you a Likeness Score from 0 to 100 for each restaurant. I’m glad they’re producing fine-grained ratings. Five stars, even with half stars, have never felt adequate.

You can also filter the results. Choose “Hide Places I’ve Rated” to make sure new restaurants show up at the top of your search results. And choose “No Big Chains” to stick to local businesses. Of course, if you and your friends are foodies, the chains shouldn’t show up in your search results anyway, right?

Ness also lets you choose which of your friends influence the app. This is ostensibly to help you pare down extensive social networks, but I would use this feature to filter out my meat-and-potatoes-only friends. No matter how clever systems like this become, the Achilles heel is the quality of the data they’re drawing on–garbage in, garbage out.

Under the hood, Ness’ Likeness Engine uses the same sophisticated technology the spooks in Washington use to track terrorist networks: machine learning, collaborative filtering, social graph data mining and natural language processing.

Ness Computing isn’t stopping at food. They plan to expand the app to all kinds of categories where you want to know how much you like something before springing for it, including music, shopping, nightlife, and entertainment.

Now if it can tell me what I’m in the mood for…

[Thanks: http://news.cnet.com]