Swap is a service very similar in concept to Craigslist, however, the big difference is, it’s exclusively for trading one thing for another. The site has seen some success and they have launched an app for iOS.

When it comes to Craigslist, one big downside for people listing products to sell, is often people will message you and ask if you’re interested in trading whatever it is for whatever they have. The price is right there on the listing, but people still don’t pay attention. This service changes that and is definitely for those people, or if you just have something you don’t want to sell, but want to get something else in exchange.

Via TheNextWeb:

“The site is completely free for everyone to use, and it encourages you to share all of things that you don’t want anymore in hopes that someone else will. You know what they say, one person’s trash is another person’s treasure. The site sports 1.5 million listings, so if you’re looking for things to trade for, there’s a good chance that you’ll find something that interests you.”

The app is very simple and straightforward. Users can expect to easily list what they want to trade, add info, upload pictures, and submit. An Android app is currently in the works. Craigslist on the other hand doesn’t have an official app, just third party applications that offer an okay experience.

“Much like eBay, the swappers get peer reviews so that you know how trustworthy someone is before you message them about a potential swap. The messaging system is lightweight and doesn’t require you to follow the person or become friends. Swap is truly an open marketplace for trading things that people don’t want anymore.”

What things would you have to Swap?

Swap Releases iPhone App, Like Craigslist But For Trades is a post from: The Inquisitr

Android and iOS continue to be the two largest in terms of smartphone and OS market share. Over the years, the majority of app developers have built apps for iOS first, and then, just maybe, built apps for Android.

According to a new report, that’s going to change this year. Frankly, it’s not too surprising considering that they command a large amount of market share and are a very popular option. This is, of course, great news for smartphone users. While the iPhone has a wide range of great quality apps, it won’t hurt for more of that goodness to come over to the other side.

“More app developers are going to go “Android first” over Apple’s iOS this year, according to a survey by research firm Ovum. While there is a legitimate chance of this happening, we will believe it when we see it. It often seems like analysts are shooting in the dark with these types of proclamations, no matter what kind of survey data they collect.”

“All the corollary evidence suggests that developer interest will overtake that of iOS. More Android devices are shipped and activated across the world every day than iOS, BlackBerry and Windows Phone. The Android Market is growing rapidly. Analyst firms love this type of parallel data. But will reality catch up with theory?”

Being that we’ve just started 2012, we won’t know for certain until the year starts to heat up. With that said, it’s sure to be a great year otherwise.

Will more develop for Android this year or with the iPhone closing in on their market share, with the trend stay the same?

Android To Get More Developers In 2012 Than iOS [Report] is a post from: The Inquisitr

Capcom provided their fans with a treat on Thursday when they officially launched Mega Man X for iPhone and iPod Touh devices.  Made popular on NES, Super NES and Game Boy systems the new game is a bit expensive at $4.99 but users have for the most part left positive reviews about the game, providing it with 4.5 out of 5 stars.

Available for immediate download from the iTunes App Store the game provides users with 60 different levels following a 20 level opening “Story Mode” campaign.

The iPhone application also features Game Center support

The only big complaint from some users have been the games controls which have been called clunky. Several users have also said the load times between levels is a bit strange for a modern day device offering.

One feature offered by the game that wasn’t offered in the original is the ability to buy certain products via in-app purchases. For example users can buy full armor for $1.99 or add all health boosts for $0.99.

On a personal note even if the game isn’t perfect, it’s still Mega Man X on a Smartphone and I for one will be downloading the game tonight and will probably play through each level until my eyes are bloodshot and my hands are shaky.

Have you tried Capcom’s Mega Man X for your iPhone or iPod Touch yet? If you have feel free to share your impressions about the game in our comments section.  If you haven’t tried it yet do you plan to relive your childhood with this download?

Mega Man X Arrives For iPhone Devices, Fanboys Rejoice is a post from: The Inquisitr

Users of the Amazon Kindle app for iPod touch, iPhone and iPad devices were met on Wednesday with an update that brings PDF and periodicals supports to the platform.

Previously only available to Kindle hardware users the company announced the new features on Wednesday morning while pointing out access to more than 400 publications that can now be delivered directly to the users Kindle app.

Along with that periodicals support the company has also decided to allow access to documents that are sent to a users private “send-to-kindle” e-mail address through the application.

Added to those features PDF support has also been provided, allowing users to open PDFs from withing Safari and Mail or through PDFs that have been transferred via iTunes.

According to a company statement:

“The PDF reader is enhanced with support for PDF table of contents and thumbnail navigation for quickly jumping through the document.”

iOS users who have already downloaded the application can perform an App Store update to receive the new support options while new downloads will come with the support features built-in.

Quick Note: If you have a NYTimes subscription via your Amazon Kindle and it is not showing up in your iOS app it is likely because of a subscription that only allows for direct Kindle hardware integration.

Will you be using your Kindle iOS app to obtain subscription or carry over your Kindle subscriptions to your Apple based devices?

Amazon Kindle iOS App Gets PDF and Periodicals Support is a post from: The Inquisitr

Google on Wednesday re-released their native Gmail app for  iPhone, iPad, and iPod Touch devices just two weeks after pulling the program as reviewers panned the program’s interface (basically a web wrapper) and constant notification problems.

While the new offering (available now in the App Store) is still not the perfect solution it does away with the Google Notifications problem and errors have been fixed.

On the official Google blog Product Manager Matthew Izatt wrote:

“Two weeks ago, we introduced our Gmail app for iOS. Unfortunately it contained a bug which broke notifications and displayed an error message, so we removed it from the App Store. We’ve fixed the bug and notifications are now working, and the app is back in the App Store. For an overview of what’s available in the Gmail app for your iPhone, iPad or iPod touch, check out this blog post.In the short time the app was public we received a lot of helpful feedback and feature requests. This included requests for everything from bigger features like multiple account support to customizations like improved notifications and mobile specific signatures.”

Google’s Gmail engineers in the meantime are promising to update the iOS app in the coming weeks to provide more features. One such improvement developed in the last two weeks is better handling of image HTML messages which are now sized to fit the users display with pinch for zoom capabilities.

The new Gmail app can be installed on iOS 4+ devices.

Special Note: If you installed the Gmail app release prior to Nov. 2 you will need to uninstall the app or log out of the older app before installing the new option. 

Google Relaunches Gmail iOS App Two Weeks After Disastrous First Attempt is a post from: The Inquisitr

It looks like TiVo is FINALLY getting ready to reveal iPhone and Android Apps for their popular DVR service. In the most recent issue of CEPro‘s magazine a full-page ad says that the company is developing apps for both products, although exact features and information is still lacking.

Currently TiVo only offers an iPad app, although they have been promising other mobile apps for a while now.

With DirectTV, Dish Network and various cable providers offering their own apps the idea of adding mobile functions is an important move for the company and is expected to eventually bring with it mobile internet video streaming, media sharing and other functions that can help TiVo gain the upper hand against their competitors.

[via Zatz Not Funny]

TiVo Finally Hints: Android and iPhone Apps On The Way is a post from: The Inquisitr

Addicted to Words With Friends yet?

Zynga has added a second “With Friends” title to the franchise, unleashing Hanging With Friends to a populace already experiencing delirium tremens when separated from their smartphones for more than twenty minutes. But does the new addition have the same stickiness the popular Words With Friends offers?

Hanging With Friends is a bit less intense and intellectual, with a more graphical interface. And though you may feel like you have totally been a hangman expert since the second grade, Hanging With Friends does take a bit of getting used to. You select an avatar from an assortment of just over half a dozen, and then add games from your Facebook friends, contacts or a random opponent, just like on the original Words With Friends.

At your turn, you attempt to guess the word letter by letter, while your avatar dangles precipitously from a bunch of balloons. (Some names redacted to protect the about to be beaten in Hangman.) Then you win or lose, and either way, you create a new word from a smaller selection of letters. If you can make the word long enough, there are bonuses for triple letter or double word placements.

All in all, Hanging With Friends is fun, but it’s more whimsical and requires less skill and finesse than Words With Friends. Also: the trash talk factor is a bit lower- it’s just not as competitive. Have you given Hanging With Friends a test go? Are you enjoying it?

First Look: Zynga’s ‘Hanging With Friends’ Now Available is a post from: The Inquisitr

After crossing the 2 million app download milestone the company announced on Monday that they have raised $3.6 million in series A funding. That money is led by French VC firm IDinvest (the company is based in Paris and Tel Aviv).

The money comes after Appsfire increased their user base from one million to two million users since February. According to the company they are already generating 3 million leads for app developers on a monthly basis.

Appsfire Reaches 2 Million Downloads, Raises $3.6 Million In Series A Funding is a post from: The Inquisitr

I’m not sure how good an idea this is but it seems that State Farms has launched an app for the iPhone that uses the smartphone’s accelerometer and GPS to become the backseat driver we all hate.

Using those two features of the iPhone State Farms Driver Feedback app gauges your acceleration, braking and cornering habits. Then using all that information the app spits out a score that you can share with your friends and family but not the courts – yet.

State Farm says that they aren’t collecting any of the information but who’s willing to bet that at some point that might become an option especially if they offer you deals on your insurance based on your scores.

via Engadget

State Farm Becomes A Backseat Driver And Scores Your Driving is a post from: The Inquisitr

I’m not quite sure how to feel about this one.

On one hand, it’s a cool idea to flesh out the ubiquitous designer/writer standard issue Moleskine out for technophilic traditionalist who use the devices. On the other, Moleskines really are one of those things that are pretty much all about esthetics- page texture, the sleek binding, that snappy little elastic band to hold in papers, pictures and old tickets. Can it really be translated to a tiny, glowing screen? (I say this as someone who has entirely forsaken paper books and gleefully anticipates their obsolescence- I hold no particular affection for the printed page, the smell of books, their “warmth” or any similar bollocks.)

Alas, I was unable to find out directly. The app won’t even talk to my iPhone, and wouldn’t download to my iPad either. Maybe it’s just me, but it could be buggy. MSNBC was a bit more successful in getting the Moleskine app to run, and describes it thusly:

The app is slightly more elaborate than a notebook, but it still mimics the general feel of a traditional Moleskine as well as an app can. Users can select a notebook paper style — plain, ruled, or squared — as well as one of several note taking tools. There are ways to add images, edit text, sketch basic things, organize thoughts, geo-tag items, and share notes via email or social networks.

Some aspects of the app seem to make it crash, users report, but overall, the Moleskine app is probably more fun to use for everyday note taking than the iPhone Notes app that comes standard. Have you successfully test driven the Moleskine app? Is it an interesting version of an old classic or kind of silly?

[Image]

So, there’s a Moleskine app for iPhone and iPad… is a post from: The Inquisitr

How smurfing angry would you be at your kid if she spent $1,500 on in-app upgrades after finding out your iTunes password?

Unlike yesterday’s big-haired family who were unable to wiggle out of a $1,700 XBox Live charge, however, the family of 8-year-old Madison Kay will be able to get a refund from Apple after their grade schooler went on an expensive “Smurfberry binge” playing Smurfs’ Village over Christmas break. The Washington Post points out a fifteen-minute window after an iTunes password is entered during which kids can go effing crazy with your credit card, and an advocate for- oh, I don’t know- preventing kids from going on app spending sprees- explains why this is a problem for parents’ whose kids have iPods:

“Parents need to know that the promotion of games and the delivery mechanism for them are deceptively cheap,” said Jim Styer, president of Common Sense Media, a public advocacy group for online content for children. “But basically people are trying to make money off these apps, which is a huge problem, and only going to get bigger because mobile apps are the new platform for kids.”

Capcom Interactive, the game’s maker, called the loophole “lamentable.” While kidless folk might say that parents should keep a better eye on their anklebiters, any parent who has shelled out a couple of hundred bucks for the pricey devices will probably tell you 15 minutes in which your kid is out of your hair is the whole reason parents buy iPods in the first place.

Although Capcom Interactive says the high charges aren’t meant to bait kids, bushels of Smurfberries and snowflakes on the game range can cost $20 or even $100. Do you think parents should be liable when kids go crazy and buy expensive app enhancements?

[via]

Mom apoplectic after kid spends $1500 on Smurfs’ Village app upgrades is a post from: The Inquisitr

iPhone customers today received a Google gift, the ability to download and use Google Translate for their mobile devices.

While Google Translate had been made available in an HTML5 format, the actual application was never released via the Apple App Store.

The HTML5 version was also missing several important enhancements including speak-to-translate which offers 15 languages, the option to listen to translations in 23 languages and a full-screen mode for easier text reading.

While those features are all added bonuses, the Android app still has a few exclusive tricks up its sleeve including conversation mode which translates words on the fly.

Have you tried out the iPhone version of the app yet? Leave us a message with your first opinions of the program.

Google Translate For iPhone Enters Apple App Store is a post from: The Inquisitr

iPhone users, your list of excuses to skip Confession on Saturdays just got a little bit shorter.

Despite some relatively progressive stances for Christians on positions such as science and evolution, the Catholic Church gets a lot of (okay, mostly deserved) flak on the internet for its sins. But say what you will about certain endemic to or pervasive in the church, Catholic Church leaders are also pretty with-it when it comes to social media. And just this week, the church broadened its embrace of web apps and platforms by sanctioning an iPhone app created by three laypeople under the guidance of two priests to walk lapsed or simply nervous parishioners through confession.

Before you get too excited about not having to look at Father Jack when you spill about getting drunk and groping your secretary, the app doesn’t offer absolution. However, it does help you sort through behaviors you might have engaged in that are sins- a function anyone who has blanked when it comes to that point can appreciate. The app’s site, littleiapps.com, describes it thusly:

With a personalized examination of conscience for each user, password protected profiles, and a step-by-step guide to the sacrament, this app invites Catholics to prayerfully prepare for and participate in the Rite of Penance.

The app, emblazoned with a very Catholic but stylized Sacred Heart, is available for $1.99. And for penance? There are several rosary apps available for iPhone as well, including “Holy Rosary Deluxe Version” for $1.99.

Bless me father, for iHaveSinned: New iPhone ‘confessional’ app is a post from: The Inquisitr

Handyscope wants your iPhone to do more than play a mean game of Angry Birds, they want it to act as a mobile dermatoscope.

The attachment and accompanying iPhone app work with 3GS and iPhone 4 models and turns your phone into a mobile skin examination center.

Users simply take pictures of their problem skin areas using the attachment and those pictures can then be magnified up to 20X and sent directly to the doctors office, allowing for a quick review of your problem areas.

The attachment isn’t cheap at approximately $1582 (€1,166) plus $11.99 for the app, but it could save your life from skin cancer or other flesh eating issues that may arise.

In the meantime, a special thanks to FotoFinder Systems for developing an app and attachment that might actually do some good, which is more than I can say to the life force sucking, time wasting Angry Birds…with that said I’m about to go play Angry Birds on my Macbook Pro.

Handyscope iPhone Attachment Turns Your Phone Into A Dermatoscope is a post from: The Inquisitr

MLB at Bat 2010 for iPhone and iPod touch devices has been named the highest grossing app for Apple in 2010. While Apple breaks up app types into various categories, MLB At Bat 2010 managed to gross higher than every other program in every other category.

The application even managed to win the highest grossing category for the iPad sports category.

If you’re unfamiliar with the program, it allows users to access live video for every game of the MLB season, access that was used 37 million times in 2010.

The number of users increased by 236 percent when compared to numbers in 2009.

Aside from watching games statistical overlays are provided along with rewind and game pause features.

The app is free during the off season from the Apple App store.

Highest Grossing iPhone App Of 2010: MLB At Bat 2010 is a post from: The Inquisitr

MySpace Debuts New WebKit Enabled Website For Various Mobile Devices is a post from: The Inquisitr

Apple on Monday released their Find My iPhone / iPad App for free. The one-time paid service is now available without the need for a MobileMe account for users of the iPad, iPHone 4 and fourth-generation iPod touch units running iOS 4.2.1.

Just like the paid option users can find their devices on a map, lock the device remotely, display a message on the phone so it can be returned to the original owner, play a sound on the device and remotely wipe data from any browser and through another iOS app for the program.

Now if Apple would just make MobileMe completely free we would be jumping up and down with joy.

Find My iPhone App Now Free, Includes iPad, 4th Gen. iPod Touch is a post from: The Inquisitr

Google is said to be looking to acquire up and coming group purchasing site Groupon, according to AllThingsD.

Google predictably wouldn’t comment on rumored negotiations, and Groupon hasn’t tipped their hand in the matter either:

In an email, a Google spokesperson said with some style: “Per usual, we don’t comment on rumor or speculation. If we did we’d be busy 24/7!”

A Groupon spokesperson was also sassy, noting: “Thanks for the heads-up!”

As AllThingsD points out, the valuation of Groupon, which is catching on rapidly among smartphone users and general web bargain shoppers, might seem high at first but prove to be prescient. However, it could also open up problems for the search engine giant as regards to its increasing dominance over many aspects of the web:

Google narrowly missed getting approval for its $750 million purchase of mobile advertising start-up AdMob.

And it is currently under fire from numerous critics for its proposed purchase of huge flight data firm ITA Software for $700 million.

Those opposed to the acquisition, on antitrust grounds, contend that Google would control travel search in a way that would invite abuse.

Groupon, which operates in about 300 cities in nearly 30 countries (a number which has doubled since May), gets a 50% cut of all deals sold through their site- a business model that has also drawn ire from some merchants with buyer’s remorse. If the three billion or more dollars figure stands, the acquisition will be the most expensive of all of Google’s large acquisitions. (In comparision, YouTube sold for a paltry $1.65B.)

Google said to be eyeing up Groupon, for $3B+ is a post from: The Inquisitr

Another crass app that’s popular with kids has hit the iTunes App Store, and this one has a bit of “cyberbullying” stigma attached to it.

The app scans iPhone pictures and rates them on a scale of one to ten, with one being more attractive, and ten prompting some insults from the app. Stephen Balkam, CEO of the Family Online Safety Institute in Washington, expressed concerns that the app could be harmful if used by teens or tweens in a school or social setting:

“I can see that the guys who programmed it were having a bit of fun and all,” Balkam said. “If you’re 25, 26 or 28, this sort of thing could be quite funny or amusing. But in the hands of a 14- or 15-year-old, it could be quite the reverse, and particularly if someone is submitting someone else’s photograph and then circulated that photo around school. For impressionable young teens and tweens, it could potentially be quite damaging,” he said. “It could be used in cyberbullying.”

Eugene Overline, one of the apps creators, pointed out that if children plan on being cruel to their peers, the app won’t stop that behavior. Also, he grudgingly admitted that he scored a very ugly 8.7 on his own app.

iPhone ‘Ugly Meter’ app prompts cyberbullying concerns is a post from: The Inquisitr

Apple iPhone app developer Jason Ting has announced that his free iPhone Application has managed to earn him $1,400 in just one day.

According to Ting, the application, which allows users to turn their iPhone flash into an LED flashlight showed impressive stats upon first day use.

For example, his apps CPM (amount page per 1,000 page impressions) earned him $147.55 for every 1000 uses. To put that number in perspective, a $10 CPM would be considered high for many website owners, $20 or $30 would be considered phenomenal.

Ting told Mashable that the application was downloaded around 9,000 times.

When asked which type of ads were served Ting said:

“It looks like the only iAds that are currently showing are from Dove and Nissan,” adding “I’m guessing they had pretty huge media buys.”

Apple developers shouldn’t expect the super high trend to continue, click-through rates on new technologies are often much higher than older tech. The reason? Users haven’t programmed themselves to ignore the ads at this point.

iAds also count CPM (Cost per thousand impressions) alongside click rates, which means even as less clicks occur users will continue to generate a nice revenue stream for App developers who employ the system on their applications, that revenue just won’t be as high.

What do you think about iAds? Have you clicked on them or do you just ignore them and continue to use your iPhone apps as if they don’t exist.

Apple Developer Racks Up $1,400 In One Day Using iAds is a post from: The Inquisitr