iPhone Applications

Competition in the streaming music business is heating up. There are more options now for consumers, whether they're seeking free radio stations or customized paid music services. Spotify has just launched a major update to their iOS app, bringing the software to version 0.6.0.

The latest Spotify features a completely new interface with a sidebar that can be accessed by swiping to the right or pressing the menu button. The song you're listening to will be displayed on the Now Playing bar, which also acts as a music control. Switching tracks is as easy as swiping the bar. Touching the cover art will open an extended view with even more controls.

Some Amazon Kindle users may have been surprised when they opened the App Store only to read a warning stating "there is a known issue with this update. If you are an existing Kindle for iOS user, we recommend you do not install the update at this time”. Some of the unlucky readers who installed the update were greeted with a nasty account deregistration bug, which wiped saved settings.

The good news is that Amazon has already made an update available to fix the problems. For those keeping track, Kindle version 3.6.2 is currently available on iTunes and corrects the issues. Anyone waiting until the coast is clear to update or who is experiencing the problems can download and install 3.6.2.

If you're the kind of iPhone owner who likes as much technical information as possible, or you're just looking to improve your cellular signal, there's an app for that. Signal 2 is now available for jailbroken iOS 6 devices from developer planetbeing. The app offers maps of the closest cell towers and those that are actively communicating with your iPhone.

Detailed information is displayed from the cellular baseband, including signal strength, signal quality and the frequencies each cell tower is using to broadcast. Neighboring towers are also detailed, and the mapping can help you figure out where to move if your current signal is weak.

Facebook has been working hard on its iOS app, with several updates launching recently. The latest free update hit the App Store on February 22. Most visible are new sharing buttons, which are simpler to use and provide an easier way to like, share and comment.

Free in-app calling is now officially a part of the Facebook app for iOS, making it possible to call your friends in the US and Canada without using voice plan minutes. The feature will of course use up some of your data plan as these calls are placed over the Internet.

The Flickr iOS app received some new features thanks to the latest update released on February 21. Besides faster image uploads, users will notice a new user tagging feature that works by typing @screename. Lightbox thumbnails are also now a higher resolution than they were before.

Flickr makes it possible to view and participate in everything the photo sharing site has to offer. The mobile app has received many great reviews for its design and functionality. Flickr is a Yahoo! product and can be downloaded on the App Store free of charge.