Craigslist!

iCandyApps has released their newest application for the iPhone, iPod touch, and iPad – Craigslist! The app is FREE for a limited time; with this in mind, you should head over to the App Store immediately if you’re familiar with the website version. Not only does the application do everything the website does; in my opinion, it also provides the user with a whole better user interface. The app is listed under Apple’s “Lifestyle” category and is currently rated nearly 4 stars on the App Store. It was last updated on October 19th, 2011 & its current version is 1.1.

The first thing I noticed when launching the application was the UI. It looks amazing! The developers have done a miraculous job of laying-out everything the user needs; right on the “home page.” In total, there are 8 categories or options on the screen when you launch the application; in addition, there is also 1 “Favourites” option next to the other 8.

Not only does the user have the option to create a post immediately, he/she is able to jump into; for example: the “For Sale”, “Housing”, “Jobs”, “Services”, or “Community” option straight away. I like this feature because as it allows users to find what they’re looking for without a hesitation. Equally important, the user is also capable of changing they’re desired location in an instant – straight from the home page.

Once a user finds what they’re looking for, they can then either reply to the post, add it to their favorites, or even send the post to a friend, relative, or even family. All this doesn’t take any time what-so-ever. If you were to ask me what the difference is between the app & the actual website, I would answer with a succinct reply, “There is no difference.”

There is a minor thing that bugs me every now and then; specifically, the when I want to filter sales on Craigslist! by adding minimum & maximum prices. Of course, there is a way of doing it, and this way is by tapping on search, then advanced search, and then, finally, adding all your filters. However, I think the developers should add a much simpler way of doing this. I must admit, it took me quite some time to figure out how to filter searches.

Craigslist! is a fantastic application; regardless, of one small minor feature. The app’s design was clearly designed with a succinct purpose: to make the app as simple looking, yet innovative looking as possible.

iCandyApps has myriads of other apps available as well, check them out on iCandyApps’ official website.

Related articles

• iCandyApps releases Craigslist! – The whole world at your fingertips (themactrack.com)
• Craigslist on the Go 5 free apps that let you search and shop (theinsider.retailmenot.com)
• Craigs-list – Escargot Studios, LLC (itunes.apple.com)
• Craigslist for iPhone – Craigslist iPhone App – Escargot Studios, LLC (itunes.apple.com)

The Lytro Camera

Well, they’re finally announced. Lytro officially presented the Lytro camera at a press conference earlier this week. These cameras are based on Plenoptics. Plenoptic (cameras) use microlens array to capture a 4D light field information about a scene. This is also based on light-field technology.

For a photographer, whether amateur or professional, the Lytro technology means that the headaches of focusing a shot go away.

-Steve Lohr, The New York Times

The theory behind the Lytro cameras is to capture living images. You can take a picture, and then refocus it later on any part of your photo. Lytro says with no auto-focus motor will mean no shutter delay. So in simple terms, that means capture the moment you want to capture without delay. They also say it will be integrated so all computers can view it, even your friends on Facebook and Twitter, and soon to a mobile device such as phones and tablets.

So the camera has a 8X optical zoom lens, with constant f/2 aperture (to capture maximum light). It is 4.4 inches long by 1.6 inches square, and weighs less than 8 ounces. On their website, they say the batter is a long-life Li-Ion battery. It has an aluminium casing, and the screen is multitouch. And of course, it’s very speedy because there’s no auto-focus meter, making it very quick and no time last trying to focus your image.

So with all these cool features, what’s the price and internal memory? Well, first off (and I find this weird), black and graphite cameras are 8GB only, at $399 USD. THese means it can take up to 350 Lytro pictures. There is a 16GB version, but only in red priced at $499USD. Your picture files are .lfp, which means Light Field Picture file. So expect that file type to merging soon.

However, at the current moment there are some drawbacks. You need Mac in order to view these pictures. But a Widows application is “in development.” Oh, and if you want a replacement lens cap, you’ll have to buy it separately. And it uses a micro-usb for data and charging, so maybe no wall charging at the moment.

So that’s the Lytro camera!

*As seen on Jordan’s Tech Stop

iOS 5 Tech Talk World Tour 2011 Coming To 9 Cities Worldwide

Apple has confirmed that it will be doing a Tech Talk World Tour based around iOS tips & tutorials. Apple has launched its own page for the Tech Talk World Tour 2011 where developers can sign up for the limited-space events; however, Apple has said that they will be giving priority to the developers who already have an application available on the iOS App Store. All iOS developer program members are eligible to attend. The tour will kick off on November 2. 2011 in Berlin. Apple is planning on visiting 9 different cities around the World. Apple’s tour will span across 3 continents: Europe, Asia, & the Americas.

“We’re taking iOS 5 on a world tour and we want you to come along for the ride,” the site reads. “Learn from experts as you take your apps to the next level with exciting new technologies in iOS. Space is limited, so register today.”

Here’s the full list of cities:

• Berlin, Germany - November 2, Maritim ProArte Hotel Berlin
• London, United Kingdom - November 7, Kings Place
• Rome, Italy - November 9, Rome Marriott Park Hotel
• Beijing, China - December 5, Renaissance Beijing Capital Hotel
• Seoul, South Korea - December 8, Kintex
• São Paolo, Brazil - January 9, Sheraton São Paulo WTC
• New York City, New York - January 13, Millennium Broadway Hotel Times Square
• Seattle, Washington - January 18, Hilton Seattle Airport and Conference Center
• Austin, Texas - January 23, Austin Convention Center

The agenda kicks off at 9:00 am, leading into on a class that teaches consumers about iPhone & iPad user interface design at 10:00 am. Consequently, developers will also be education about adopting iCloud storage at 11:00 am, before a lunch break. Just after noon, classes will divide into three rooms where consumers will learn about different iOS features; such as: Newstand, AirPlay, Game Center, iBooks, printing support and myriad more. The day will come to an end at 6:00 pm with wine & cheese.

iPhone 4S’ Now Require Reservations

There has been such a large demand for Apple’s new iPhone 4S that Apple has asked people, that are wanting to purchase the 4S, to reserve one. In fact, the handset is selling so well that the Cupertino, California,company is now requiring that potential in-store buyers make reservations online. Currently, all iPhone 4S models are listed with shipping estimates of 1-2 weeks on Apple’s online store.

The 4S has established a new all-time high opening sales record that Apple is having trouble keeping up with the production. Apple has already sold over 4 million iPhone 4S’ in just over 72 hours. Compare this to RIM (Research In Motion) who have sold the same amount from the time RIM launched. Several years ago RIM was still ahead of Apple in the mobile phone market; however, Apple has now sped past RIM at an incredibly fast pace.

There have also been reports of Steve Jobs having worked on the iPhone 5.  Because his time was limited, rumours state that Steve contributed as much of his time towards the iPhone 5. Unfortunately, these reports have not been officially confirmed; however, if this were the case, the iPhone 5 should be a real jewel. Rumours also state that because Steve’s focus was mainly given to the iPhone 5, the iPhone 4S was not the prime of attention. Others, not Steve himself, worked & improved on the hardware of the iPhone 4, while Steve had a head-start on the iPhone 5.

Apple is expected to announce their iPhone 5 at one of their conferences summer 2012.  The iPhone 5 is expected to have a full re-design, considering that this years iPhone, the 4S, didn’t feature one. Nothing has been confirmed, but Apple will probably also be looking into an A6 chip for the iPhone 5. The camera may have slight modifications, but shouldn’t change too much, considering its 8 Mega Pixels already.

Thank You Steve, For Everything

On October 5th, 2011, former Apple CEO and Chairman Steve Jobs passed away at the age of 56. This was such a sad and shocking day for the World, for Jobs had inspired millions around the World with his innovative and slick products. Steve was a one-of-a-kind, he will not be replaced within this century. Steve had been battling pancreatic cancer since 2004. It’s disappeared and reappeared throughout the years. Unfortunately it got the better of him on October 5th, as he died surrounded by his family and friends. The Apple Board of Directors, yesterday, released a statement saying:

We are deeply saddened to announce that Steve Jobs passed away today. Steve’s brilliance, passion and energy were the source of countless innovations that enrich and improve all of our lives. The world is immeasurably better because of Steve. His greatest love was for his wife, Laurene, and his family. Our hearts go out to them and to all who were touched by his extraordinary gifts.

Over the years Steve as revolutionized the technology industry. He has brought so many new kinds of technologies to this planet, that otherwise might not even be here today. Look around your room… I bet you there’s at least one Apple product near you. It’s quite amazing and extraordinary how a man like Jobs has affected our living space, our favorite music, our favorite movies, and our favorite devices. Where would we be without this important man? Nobody knows; and thank god that this man founded Apple. I remember one of the first videos that I watched, regarding Steve Jobs, on YouTube, was his Stanford University Commencement Speech which took place in 2005.  Here’s one of the most powerful quote’s that you will ever read:

Your time is limited, so don’t waste it living someone else’s life. Don’t be trapped by dogma–which is living with the results of other people’s thinking. Don’t let the noise of others’ opinions drown out your own inner voice. And most important, have the courage to follow your heart and intuition. They somehow already know what you truly want to become. Everything else is secondary. – Steve Jobs

We are extremely saddened by the death of a great technology mogul, and wanted to write our own message to him. This is our message to Steve Jobs & his family:

We are all shocked and stunned by the death of a hero. Steve was a one-of-a-kind technology mogul, he can’t be replaced. Not only was Steve one of the most successful CEO’s of all time, he inspired the World with his extraordinary and special products. He will be missed greatly, and our condolences go out to Steve’s family, his friends, his relatives, and his company.

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Infinity Blade 2 To Come December 1st

ChAIR and Epic Games have just announced that the highly anticipated Infinity Blade 2 will be released for the iPod Touch, iPad, and iPhone on December 1st. This was announced today at Apple’s iPhone press event in Cupertino, CA.

This is a follow-up to the groundbreaking iOS sword fighting adventure, “Infinity Blade”, “Infinity Blade 2″ leverages the processing power of the iPhone, iPad and iPod Touch to deliver an immersie and graphically rich experience for users, and supports iOS features such as iCloud, enabling profiles and save games to transfer seamlessly between your devices. Be the first to watch the official trailer on Touch Reviewz!

 

Infinity Blade 2 will be powered by the Unreal Engine 3, and most likely top the iPhone app charts as soon as it is released. For more information visit its official website here.

Don’t forget to follow us on Twitter for regular news updates. Touch Reviewz is coming to Google Plus very soon!

A Look At Apple’s “New” iPhone 4S

The iPhone 4S, according to Apple, is supposed to be “the most amazing iPhone yet”. I’m not too sure that it is. Apple unveiled an abundance of new generations of their products, and the iPhone 4S was one of them. I must say, and I’m not sure if I’m talking for myself or on behalf of most Apple fans, when Apple announced that there isn’t to be an iPhone 5 this year, at their “Let’s Talk iPhone” gathering, and instead there’s to be an iPhone 4S,I was quite upset. The 4S doesn’t come with a lot of new features; however,  if you consider the Sira voice recognition system and the 1080p HD 8 MP camera a big deal, you might beg to differ.

The iPhone 4S hasn’t changed its looks at all, in contrast its hardware has been completely re-designed.

Apple has upgraded the 4S with a dual-core A5 chip, which delivers up to two times more power and up to seven times faster graphics. I must say, those are some impressive details.

As always, Apple also brags about its outstanding battery life on the iPhone. I guess we’ll just have to wait until October 14th, the release date of the 4S, to see how long it really lasts. What really impressed me today was the new camera.

8 MP is quite a lot for a phone. Correct me if I’m wrong, but I don’t think there’s a phone on the market with a better camera at the moment. I’m quite sure that the runner-up for best camera quality is Blackberry with a 5MP camera. Not only can you take amazing, clear pictures, at the same time you can also quickly edit them by cropping them or adjusting the lighting.

Things like that. Apple have also added quicker access to the camera by adding a button next to the “Slide to Unlock” slider. All in all…. a really neat feature!

iOS 5 will be shipping with the new iPhone 4S as early as October 14th. You can pre-order your 4S on Oct. 7. iOS 5 brings along quite a few cool new features with it, not only is there a new notification center, there’s also a new app called iMessage & Twitter integration. These are the top 3 new features available in iOS 5. I will post a larger, in-depth, review about these in the upcoming days. I’ve had a quick look at all of them…. in short, they all do look quite handy.

Not only does the iPhone 4S ship with a remarkably improved retina display, it also ships with iCloud; Apple’s brand new cloud system. iCloud is by far the easiest way to manage all your “stuff”.iCloud is able to store all your music, photos, apps, contacts, documents, mails, and calendars, and then wirelessly push them to all your devices. All of this requires you to do absolutely nothing at all, iCloud is great because every thing and every task it performs is automatic.

A Look at Google Plus

Google Plus…the next social network. And by far, one of the better products Google has released in the years (yes, it’s better than Google Buzz!). Google Plus launched a few months ago to beta users, and now it’s available to public, with millions of accounts being opened every day!

So they have 5 main features of Google Plus. Circles, Hangouts, Instant Upload, Sparks and Huddle.

Circles is a feature, and basically means “friends.” When you press on the circle page on your profile, you’ll see your friend list. But of course, you have to have friends first! So the friend adding is basically like Twitter. You subscribe to a friend, and they subscribe to you. Simple. And you get to verify people who follow you. Another part of circles is that you can create your own circle. Similar to groups on Facebook, you create a circle name, and then you can drag your friends into that corresponding circle. For example, you could drag all your family members into a family circle.

Next is Hangouts. It’s basically like Skype, video and voice chatting between friends, BUT you don’t have to pay. You can talk with a circle or your friends. Also, if you’re doing a hangout, on your wall will display, “Your name is hanging out with *the number of people your hanging out with.” So they can join too (one thing I don’t like).

Next is the photos (Instant Upload). Uploading photos is easy in Google Plus. You just drag your photos into your uploader. Click Upload New Photos, and just drag your photos in.

Next is Sparks. A feautre that lets you tell people what you’re interested in. Search a topic in your search bar, and click add interest.

Last is Huddle. It’s basically a chat feature, with multiperson capabilities. Google says, “Huddle turns all those different conversations into one simple group chat, so everyone gets on the same page all at once. Your thumbs will thank you.”

The good things to Google Plus is privacy. It allows you to post to your circles, to yourself, and make it non public. It supports mobile devices also.

Some bad things are you have to be over 18. So if you already set your Google Profile to an age under 18, you can’t currently use Google Plus. And you cannot change your age in Google. If you’re making a Plus account, make sure your age is over 18.

So that’s Google Plus. Enjoy!

*As seen on Jordan’s Tech Stop

Sprint Rumoured To Offer Unlimited Data Plans With New iPhone 5

According to reports released by Bloomberg, Sprint has been talking to Apple regarding potential unlimited data plans with the release of Apple’s upcoming iPhone 5. The iPhone 5 is said to launch around October 2011; however the report also noted that Spring want to differentiate itself from its competitors: AT&T and Verizon, both of which do not currently offer unlimited data plans for the iPhone. Sprint is the third-largest carrier by the number of customers, however they are also one of the top 3 carriers that doesn’t carry any iPhone devices. Over the last couple of weeks, sources have claimed that Sprint was negotiating with Apple about beginning to sell the new and upcoming iPhone 5 with the iPhone 4.

Obviously Sprint has confirmed nothing up until now, but we believe that the iPhone 4 data plans will most likely be targeted at customers that are looking at getting a cheap and affordable data package. This is how Sprint wants to differentiate themselves from AT&T and Verizon. With this in mind, it is possible for Sprint to draw away some customers from AT&T and Verizon. Since Sprint also offers unlimited voice and data plans for Android & Blackberry devices, it looks as if Apple’s iPhone will get some love as well.

Alleged iPhone 5 Cases Already Being Sold

Chinese case makers have already started selling alleged iPhone 5 cases around China. One report calls the cases, “everywhere in China”. Earlier this week a picture appeared of a next generation iPhone case. The picture clearly showed that the case had curves and a larger home button area. Since then, there have been rumours of the iPhone 5 having curves, similar to the iPhone 3Gs. But that wasn’t the only thing you were able to determine from the picture, since the cases showed a much larger area for the home button.

One vendor is selling these silicon cases on a Chinese trade site, Alibaba.com, for 2CNY which is about $0.31, however each with a minimum order of 500 pieces. The new cases contradict some pre-existing rumours regarding Apple’s next iPhone. In May, there were reports of the Flash for Apple’s iPhone 5 to be moved away from the rear-end camera, yet the picture shows the flash in the exact same position as in the iPhone 4.

Numerous iPhone reports had also suggested that the iPhone 5 would only have slight modifications from the previous iPhone, and some were calling the next device an iPhone 4Gs. Chinese case manufacturers have in the past been the source of leaks of upcoming Apple products, such as the iPad 2. Last year, Foxconn became suspicious of the iPad 2 leaks and had contacted the police. Then, last December, Foxconn had fired 3 employees.

We’ll see if these cases really were accurate in September, when the iPhone 5 is rumoured to launch.