MacRumors iPhone and iPad Blog: Apps, News, and Rumors

AT&T today announced the release of AT&T FamilyMap, a new iPhone application that integrates with the company's existing FamilyMap service to allow families to keep track of each other while on the go. The AT&T FamilyMap app brings a streamlined approach to helping families stay up to speed on each other's whereabouts by locating wireless devices within a shared family account. The app provides...

In a posting on its news page for iPhone developers earlier this week, Apple encouraged developers to integrate the Core Location framework into their apps, offering the ability to deliver information to users based on their location. Perhaps more importantly, Apple also clarified that the use of such geolocation solely for serving ads to users is not permitted. If you build your application with ...

TechCrunch reports that French game developer Gameloft reported its 2009 financial results today, specifying "iPhone revenue" of 17.6 million Euros, or about $24.5 million. That number was up 231% over 2008, and was responsible for approximately 14.5% of Gameloft's total revenues for the year. Gameloft's iPhone revenue was even more impressive when considered only under the fourth quarter of...

The Wall Street Journal reports on data from technology market research firm ABI Research showing that the iPhone's share of the worldwide smartphone sales market slipped in the fourth quarter of 2009 to 16.6%, down from 18.1% in the previous quarter. Despite strong performance from Apple during the quarter, the overall market grew even faster, resulting in a dip for Apple's market share. Apple's ...

9 to 5 Mac reports that Apple has updated its App Store Review Status clock on its iPhone developer news page, now offering aggregate data for app review processing time for both new applications and updates over the past week. Previously, the review status widget offered only a single number displaying the percentage of applications currently being approved within two weeks of submission....

Cloned in China reports on an article [Google translation] from Chinese site PCPOP claiming that Apple partner Foxconn has begun manufacturing WAPI-capable iPhones for distribution in China. The Chinese WLAN Authentication and Privacy Infrastructure (WAPI) standard is similar to the global Wi-Fi standard. The iPhone launched in China at the end of October, but did not offer Wi-Fi-like...

Reuters reports that Google has released a new browser-based web app version of Google Voice, offering iPhone users access to a broader array of features than had previously been available through the service's basic mobile interface. Google already had a version of Google Voice available through mobile Web browsers. But Google described the new version of Google Voice as a "Web app," noting...

TechRadar reports that in its first eight days of availability, 100,000 iPhones have been sold in the UK by Vodafone. "The demand from both consumer and business customers has been phenomenal. They want an outstanding phone on an outstanding network and we're delivering that," claimed Vodafone UKCEO Guy Laurence.Vodafone previously announced that it shipped 50,000 pre-ordered iPhones at launch...

TouchArcade reports that Rockstar games has released Grand Theft Auto: Chinatown Wars for the iPhone and iPod Touch this evening. Chinatown Wars for the iPhone seems to lie somewhere in between the DS and PSP versions in regards to graphical quality, but as far as pure GTA gameplay, everything so far seems intact. (Complete with an awful lot of swearing.) Grand Theft Auto is an incredibly popul...

Macworld UK reports that Vodafone, the latest UK wireless carrier to begin offering the iPhone, has shipped out 50,000 of the devices to customers who placed pre-orders. Vodafone, the fourth mobile phone operator in the UK to stock the iPhone after O2, Orange and Tesco Mobile (in partnership with O2), shipped 50,000 Apple smartphones to customers today who pre-registered with the company....

Apple released a new app today that allows MobileMe subscribers to view their uploaded photo galleries. The app also allows MobileMe users to share links to their galleries with others via email and view the galleries of other MobileMe members. Features - View your entire gallery including password protected and hidden albums - Flick through photos and pinch to zoom in for more detail...

Zinio, a digital publisher of magazines and books, App Store link] offers Zinio subscribers the ability to read select magazines on an iPhone or iPod touch, featuring zoom capabilities and a special enhanced text reading mode as well as other multiimedia features. Only a handful of magazines in Zinio's portfolio...

Without a doubt, one of the coolest things introduced at CES 2010 was Parrot's AR.Drone quadricoptor - a Wi-Fi controlled battery powered device that can be flown with your iPhone or iPod Touch. One of the biggest features behind the technology is the sensors and advanced processing behind the device which allow it to practically fly itself. Unlike other remote helicoptors, the AR.Drone...

CES isn't complete without unique and out-of-the-ordinary products to complement the more mainstream gadgets. Beyond finding accessories that enhance the functionality of an iPhone or iPod touch, like

The NewKinetix IR adapter and app In addition to the other accessories by iLuv and mophie here at CES that use the iPhone's dock connector to add functionality with a companion app, two infrared remote accessories made their debuts at CES. NewKinetix and L5 Technology both announced IR accessories that turn an iPhone or iPod touch into a universal remote to control TVs, cable boxes and other ...

Facebook today updated its iPhone and iPod touch application [App Store, Free] to Version 3.1, adding highly-anticipated push notifications and the ability to sync Facebook friends with users' address books. Facebook's push notifications offer a fairly high degree of customization, allowing users to choose whether to receive alerts for seven categories of information. Push notifications had ...

Macworld reports that Apple has taken control of a trademark for the term "i-phone" in China after reaching an agreement with the previous holder to resolve a conflict that could have prevented Apple from releasing the iPhone there under its global brand name. Hanwang Technology, a Chinese maker of e-readers and other devices, applied for the i-phone trademark for mobile phones in China in 2004,...

French newspaper Le Figaro reports [Google translation] (via 9 to 5 Mac) on the success of the iPhone in France, where observers have previously looked to as an example for the market share growth possible in transitioning from exclusive carrier arrangements to multi-carrier models. According to the report, Apple is expected to sell between 1.8 million and 2 million iPhones in France for 2009, ...