iPhone Software

Now iPhone owners have another way to join Android users in a video chat. Qik Video Connect Plus has been released on iTunes for $2.99. A free version is in the works and is currently being reviewed by Apple. For those who are not familiar with Qik, the app offers an alternative to FaceTime and has been pre-installed on many Android devices.

Besides real-time video calling, Qik offers a variety of other features. Video mail messages can be sent to friends, and live video can be broadcast on the web for your contacts to watch live. The plus version of Qik includes real-time video effects, syncing with the camera roll and support for HD video.

The iPhone has mishandled another time change as clocks across the continent were set forward one hour this weekend to mark the beginning of Daylight Savings Time (DST). Reports have surfaced on Apple forums, Twitter and other venues of frustrated iPhone owners missing appointments and experiencing strange behavior on their devices.

The DST bugs run the gamut from iPhone clocks jumping backward instead of forward by one hour, alarms going off an hour early, and phones switching to DST properly but later in the day undoing the change. Apple has not announced an official reason for the clock problems, but they are easily fixed.

Just in case you haven't heard, Apple announced a little product called the iPad 2 earlier today. Also discussed in the talk was a listing of the new features and software coming to iOS devices with firmware version 4.3. This operating system will be released on the iPad 2 shipping date, currently scheduled for Friday March 11, 2011.

So what comes with the iOS 4.3 update for iPhone owners? Mostly improvements to current features, such as a speed boost for the Safari web browser. Apple has implemented the Nitro JavaScript engine, which should make Safari twice as fast as the current iOS 4.2 browser.

Screenshots acquired by 9to5 Mac reveal a gesture-based passcode lock screen already in use internally at Apple. The AppleConnect iOS application for employees makes use of the feature.

Much like a similar gesture-based passcode lock found on Android devices, the Apple version allows users to set a private code based on points that are connected by the user on the screen. The iOS version has a progress bar indicating the strength of an individual gesture entered for use as a passcode.

Angry Birds has met its match, and it's another bird game for the iPhone. Tiny Wings was launched one week ago with little fanfare and has managed to become the top paid app in the iTunes App Store. The overnight success of previously unknown developer Andreas Illiger is earning him $0.99 per download.

The app itself is small enough to download over a 3G connection and features graphics that change every single day. Gameplay only requires one finger and a desire to beat your previous high score. The object of the game is to fly for as long as possible in one day before night comes and you're forced to sleep.