iPhone Applications

There is nothing more annoying than duplicate and incomplete contact information on your phone, especially now that people are relying on Siri to access their contacts for various reasons. Smart Merge is an iPhone application that promises to clean up your messy Contacts app.

The app will hunt down duplicates in your Contacts app so you can merge them into one. Smart Merge also allows you to backup your contacts, sync your contacts between multiple devices, and locate incomplete contacts without a names or phone number. The name of the app also suggests you can merge your Facebook and Linkedin accounts.

The popular Android App ForeverMap has added offline support to its iOS version. ForeverMap 2 uses OpenStreetMaps and advanced compression technology so users can access its global maps with no Wi-Fi connection. Users are able to download as many complete country maps as they need to use whenever they wish.

ForeverMap is a great companion for navigation apps such as Google, Nokia or even Apple Maps. Apple’s vector-based maps do offer offline usage, but you do lose some functions while disconnected from Wi-Fi. ForeverMap also helps cut down on the high costs of data roaming when you are traveling.

Amazon has added Apple VoiceOver support for over 1.8 million titles in the Kindle Store. VoiveOver will read aloud any compatible book to blind and visually impaired customers. The update also allows visually impaired customers the ability to navigate within their library or within a book, search for a book within their library, and use features like X-Ray, End Actions and sharing on Facebook and Twitter.

Version 3.7 of the app also brings a few bug fixes/stability improvements and the ability to download a free sample and email yourself a reminder about recommended books. The Amazon Kindle app for the iPhone and iPad is free to download from the App Store. It requires iOS 5.0 or later and has been optimized for iPhone 5. Check out the complete list of improvements below.

Google has updated the iOS Google Search app to version 3.0. The biggest change adds Google Now capabilities to the app, providing information on the go in customized cards that are automatically generated. Instead of performing multiple searches for specific information throughout the day, Google Now can feed you the information you need at the right time or place.

22 cards are now available on iOS, including traffic, weather, sports scores, appointments, flight schedules, transit schedules and more. Swiping up in the Google Search app is all it takes to bring up current cards to find information. Although Google Now on iOS does not feature push alerts at the current time, these are under development for a future version of Google Search.

Movie fans can get even more information from the IMDb iPhone app thanks to an update to version 3.2 now available. This marks the first time since December 2012 that IMDb has received a major update, one of several since the initial launch of IMDb in late 2009. The key to IMDb is accessing information about all of your favorite movies on the go.

More facts have been added including actor heights in the personal details section, and worldwide movie release dates. The developers of IMDb have also made things more visually appealing for iPhone owners, with a fresh new page look for movies and celebrities in the app. Speaking of which, IMDb now clocks over 5 million people and 2.5 million titles in the catalog.