Directly on the heels of an update for its newest media streamers, Roku has released its official iPhone remote app. Apparently "inspired by user feedback", it allows users to launch or rate channels, control the box with touches and swipes, and add or remove channels from their box directly from the app itself. Probably the best news about it is that it will work with all generations of Roku hardware, and can even pair to multiple boxes. Usage requires the box and iOS device be connected on the same network, and for users to sign in with their Roku account, but that's it. Hit the source link to grab the free app now, or check out a couple more screenshots in the gallery below, then let us know how it measures up to the numerous third party solutions (like DVPRemote) currently available. Roku already promised an Android version is in the works, so we'll keep an eye out for that to arrive soon.
Gallery: Roku official iOS remote app
Roku's official iPhone remote app is available, has gesture control and channel selection for all originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 15 Dec 2011 14:55:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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iOS: Speed Notes is a plain-text editor for the iPhone that instantly syncs your notes with your Dropbox account for easy note creation and editing on the go or from your computer. More »

iOS: Popular organization tool Evernote has released two new iOS apps today. Evernote Food is an app for iOS that aims to help you document your dishes throughout the day, while Evernote Hello wants to make it easy to remember everyone you encounter. More »

Sure, iCloud gives you 5GB of free storage. How cute! Box.net just blew it out of the water. For the next 50 days, it is offering iOS users 50 GB of free storage. It's a pirate's bounty! More »

Writing and sending postcards is a traditional vacation ritual and, thanks to the wonders of modern technology, can cost you no more than a little time and energy.

Don’t be forced to choose among cheesy print postcards at your vacation destination — use your own iPhone photos with one of these fabulous, free apps that creates electronic postcards you can email.

While your dear old grandma may still prefer a card of the paper variety, next time you’re on a trip away from home, why not drop a line to your friends, family and colleagues using one of these apps?


1. SodaSnap



SodaSnap offers a simple app interface that matches the simplicity of the final product. To get started, choose an image. You can either select a photo from your iPhone's camera roll, snap a pic of your surroundings, or use your location.

Using your location brings up the maps app from which you can screengrab. This doesn't make the most compelling picture postcard, but it may be a useful tool for meetings and invitations.

Once you're happy with your image, you can add text and hit the "Share" button. The way the app is designed, it's pretty much what you see is what you get, so you'll have a good idea of what the recipient will see in the inbox. As well as email, there are options to share to Twitter and Facebook.


2. Photocards


The Photocards app allows you to snap a pic or grab one from your camera roll. When you've sized the photo to fit the frame, you can choose a background.

The available backgrounds display classic stock photography — the sky, greenery, sand, landscapes, etc. — but the pleasant surprise is that the images are actually decent quality. The not-so-pleasant surprise is that you have to pay for some of them.

With your background and picture in place, it's just a matter of penning a few lines before emailing your creation.


3. Montager


Montager is a little different because it acts as more of a photography tool. However, we really like that it lets you get creative with your pics.

It offers a number of templates that allow you juxtapose three images into a mini-montage. You simply double-tap the empty space you want to fill, and then create your triptych either on-the-fly with photos taken with the iPhone's camera, or from pics saved to the camera roll.

Although there's no built-in text options, you can email from within the app, so add your message there.


4. Current Postcards


Once you've snapped a photo or grabbed one from your camera roll, the Current Postcards app lets you select a font (a big bonus in our book) before opening the theme gallery.

Themes categories include Birthday, Special Events, Holidays, Everyday or Just For Fun. While we'd struggle to pick a theme from most of the clipart-esque options, the simple postcard in the "Everyday" category (as seen above) is quite classic.

You can send your Current Postcards creations via email or post to Facebook.


5. Postino


Creating a postcard with the Postino app is a four-step process. First upload a photo from your camera roll or capture one anew with your iPhone.

Next write the message, and then you're onto the really fun step — adding your signature.

You can scrawl your John Hancock on your iPhone screen with your finger. We think this would be a really nice touch if you're sending postcards with a child — although, if your finger writing skills are as rubbish as ours, your signature may end up looking like a child's anyway!

Once you've added that personal touch, email your postcard.

Thumbnail image courtesy of Steve Moses

More About: app store, apple, iphone, iphone apps, iphotography, List, photography
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Apple doesn't like apps repurposing buttons, so Camera Mic went ahead and did something creative: it turned your microphone into a button. All you need to do is run your finger across your iPhone's mic or headset mic to snap a picture. More »

The iPhone's Calendar app is handy, but it frankly leaves a bit to be desired. If you'd like a more powerful, iCal-like interface for your iPhone, Week Cal is a great calendar replacement app. More »

A little sooner than expected, Skype has just launched a new version of its iOS app [iTunes] that enables Skype-to-Skype video calls, via Wi-Fi or 3G.

Those lucky enough to have an iPhone 4 or 3GS, or 4th generation iPod touch, will be able to make two-way video calls with any other Skype user, including desktop and laptop PC users, and presumably other mobile Skype users on Android or BlackBerry.

This software update also affects the iPad and third-generation iPod touch, but they can only receive video, rather than send it.

The big news, of course, is that Skype is allowing video calls over 3G. It remains to be seen what the mobile operator's response will be, once people start making use of free, high-bandwidth video-to-video calls. We always figured that the Wi-Fi-only restriction of FaceTime was enforced by mobile operators, rather than Apple!
Gallery: Skype 3.0 for iPhone
Skype for iPhone brings video calls over 3G originally appeared on Download Squad on Thu, 30 Dec 2010 06:15:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Comcast has just released its new Xfinity TV app for the iPhone and iPad. The app, which will be demoed Monday at the Web 2.0 Summit, acts as both a remote control and a TV guide for your compatible Comcast set-top box.
Right now, the Xfinity TV app [iTunes link] doesn’t let you watch video content on your device, but Xfinity TV content will be coming to the iPad next month. We took some time to play around with the app and we’re really impressed with what the Comcast team has accomplished.
The Xfinity TV app — which is free — works by connecting to your compatible DVR or cable set-top boxes. When you log in to the app, you’re presented with what boxes you have that are compatible with that service (some boxes aren’t compatible) and you can test and name the boxes and DVR units that you can control.
Once you enter in your zip code and choose your channel offerings, you are presented with an interactive, searchable TV guide. Selecting the program gives you the option to watch it on TV or to set a recording.
When you click on “watch on TV,” your channel changes. You can find a variety of information, such as when the show is on again, if episodes are available on On-Demand and episode descriptions.

What we really appreciate is that you can restrict your channel listings to only stations in HD or only stations of a certain type. You can even create favorite channels.
The app also allows you to browse the On-Demand listings available through the Xfinity TV service. This is nice because it’s faster than using On-Demand’s remote-based setup and provides the choice of watching programs directly on TV. Future updates will allow users to access content directly on the iPad, much like the rebranded Xfinity TV service (formerly Fancast) that Comcast rolled out a few months ago.
You can also manage your DVR recordings from the app — although at this time, the iPad version takes you to a web page where you can control your recordings and rearrange or reschedule shows. An iPhone app that lets you manage your Comcast DVR already exists.
We were impressed with how quick and responsive remote controls were on the app. We also appreciate the ability to switch between rooms and to assign DVR recordings to various devices in the house.
As a free offering for all digital cable subscribers, the Xfinity TV app adds a real sense of value. The next question is: Will Comcast consider bringing live TV streaming, akin to what Verizon demoed this August, to the iPad or other devices?
Oh and for Android fans — Comcast says it plans to bring the Xfinity TV app to the Android Market sometime next month. It’s not clear if any of those apps will support streaming video playback.
Startup Screen This is where you locate and name your various DVR or set-top boxes.
Getting Started This is the navigation help screen.
On-Demand Selection You can select specific TV shows or movies and then select content to watch on your TV.
TV Guide The TV guide uses a traditional grid and also makes it easy to watch or record a program.
Program Information You can choose to record a current or future broadcast or watch the TV show or movie immediately on your TV.
Reviews: Android, Android MarketMore About: comcast, internet tv, ipad, ipad apps, television, tv, tv guide, xfinity tv
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While people who have used both iOS and Android devices will argue over which OS exhibits a greater degree of polish, Android definitely has the better notification system. Even the addition of multitasking to iOS 4 did little to improve the state of notifications on iOS devices compared to Android.

Boxcar, which just reached version 4 on the App Store, is a great improvement over standard iOS notifications. Boxcar enables super-fast push notifications for services ranging from the internal mail app to Buzz, Twitter, Facebook, and Google Voice. An ad-supported version of Boxcar is available for free, but an in-app purchase of US$4.99 will eliminate the ads. The app is so good that TechCrunch's MG Siegler thinks Apple should just buy Boxcar and incorporate it into iOS. At the very least, Apple should take some inspiration from Boxcar's features for iOS 5.

[via Daring Fireball]
Boxcar 4.0 vastly improves on iPhone notifications originally appeared on TUAW on Mon, 15 Nov 2010 07:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Most of us hook up our Google accounts with our iOS devices using Exchange, which pushes new mail to your iPhone. But if you sync Google Calendar using Exchange, your calendar colors don't sync. Luckily they can, and there's a simple solution. More »

With H.264 solidly planted as the codec of choice for just about every mobile device, we've come to a point where you can encode a video once and play it back on pretty much anything. Here's how. More »

Anyone who knows me will tell you that I have the worst memory. I also have a bad short-term memory. This makes it tough to remember the things that pop into my head throughout the day, and it makes it especially hard to keep track of tasks and other actions that I must take. I've wanted to use my iPhone to "bottle" these fleeting thoughts for years, but nothing on the App Store allowed me to do this without some sort of distraction.

Enter Captio, a new app from Ben Lenarts of Boonbits. It's a small note taking application that allows you to capture thoughts, ideas, tasks, and other tidbits of information as they come to you. You may say, "But there are a million of those apps on the store, Josh, you handsome man!" Given, but Captio has one killer feature that everyone else has failed to deliver on: nothing. For example, here's how it works:

Step 1: You open the app.

Step 2: You type what you need to remember.

And that's it. Your idea is in your email inbox. That's what makes Captio so great. You can add a quick photo before Captio whisks the idea out of your mind, but the feature is hidden quite well under the keyboard (as not to distract you). It's one fast app, too. I don't mean that in the same way that reviewers normally say it, either. Captio could outrun Usain Bolt strapped to a rocket cheetah. My iPhone 4 loads it from a cold start in about a second, and it's even quicker when loading from multitasking memory.

If you're looking for something to capture everything you need to remember (and capture it quickly), I highly recommend picking up Captio. It's available now on the App Store for a fantastic $0.99. Just be prepared to break the news gently to your iPod icon, though; he won't be happy to lose his spot on the dock.TUAWCaptio: The simple app that just might change your life originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Thu, 30 Sep 2010 10:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Here at Mashable, we’ve been putting the iPhone 4 through its paces, and have come up with some handy tips and tricks that can help you get more out of your Apple-flavored mobile.
We’ve covered all kinds of basics, like making search results more relevant, creating shortcuts for your favorite websites, better organizing your apps, and making the most of Maps.
And, as ever, if you’ve got suggestions for more iPhone magic not covered here or in our previous Keyboard Shortcuts post, you know we want to hear them in the comments below.
1. Change the Spotlight Search Result Order

The iPhone’s Spotlight Search functionality is a great improvement from early incarnations, but you can make it even more relevant to you just by tweaking the settings.
In the “Settings” menu, go to “General,” then select “Spotlight Search.” You are then presented with a list of categories. By touching the three bars icon next to each category, you can change the order of how the phone presents search results.

This feature can be an extremely useful time saver, as it prioritizes search results based on what you’re most likely to look for (e-mails, apps, contacts, etc.).
2. Lock the Screen Orientation

A great feature for anyone who reads iBooks in bed, you can now lock the screen on your iPhone to stay in the portrait orientation and avoid that annoying wobble between portrait and landscape you can get in certain situations.
To activate the lock, tap the home button twice, then scroll to the screen on the left, at which point you’ll see a square gray icon with a circular arrow on the far right. Tap this to lock the screen (you’ll see a locked icon in the top right of the display now) and unlock by tapping again.
3. Change the Display to White on Black

This one falls under the iPhone’s Accessibility features as it offers a high contrast, more easy-to-view display, but it can also be employed just to make your phone look a little different.
To make the change, head to “Settings,” then “General,” then “Accessibility” and then toggle “White on Black” to “On.”
The colors on your phone’s display are now inverted, however, the Apple magic that makes this happen must have something to do with the phone’s display, rather than a software change, as you can’t export screen grabs showing this setting. To see the effect in action, you’ll have to make do with our real-life photos.

4. Create a Homescreen Icon for Any Website

This is a really nice option for anyone who regularly visits websites that don’t offer their own app. You can easily add a one-touch shortcut for any webpage to your homescreen in the iPhone’s Safari browser.
Simply load up the site you’re interested in and then press the “+” on the bottom of the screen. Select the “Add to Home Screen” option.

You can then label it something appropriate. Now, as the screenshot below shows, there will be a shortcut icon to the site on your homescreen.

5. Use the Front-Facing Camera for More than FaceTime

The iPhone 4’s front-facing camera isn’t just about FaceTime. You can also use it to snap quick portrait pics (as above) and even record video of yourself.

To access the front-facing camera, go to the main camera and then hit the camera with an arrow icon on the top-right corner. This switches the view to whatever the front-facing camera sees, meaning you’ll be able to see yourself on the screen to press the shutter at the correct moment.
To toggle between capturing stills and video, it’s the same as the main camera — slide the toggle from either icon at the bottom of the phone’s screen.

6. Open and Save PDFs in iBooks

The iPhone offers handy “Quick Look” functionality for viewing PDFs, but what’s even cooler is that you can auto-save them into iBooks and then access and view them from there.
Simply press and hold on the PDF icon and you’ll see the option to “Open in iBooks.” Hit this, and the PDF will be ported over, and be available to view in the app from then on.

7. Turn iBooks Into Audio Books

Another one of the iPhone’s Accessibility options for the visually impaired, the “VoiceOver” feature is a gesture-based screen reader.
Using slightly different controls (double tap to select and three fingers to scroll), VoiceOver essentially reads aloud what is on the phone’s screen.
Aside from the obvious uses for the visually-impaired, this also means that iBooks can become audio books. To activate it, go to “Settings,” then “General,” then “Accessibility” and toggle VoiceOver to “On,” at which point you get options to tweak the settings (the speed of reading) and try out the new controls.
Once activated, if you head over to your iBooks app, VoiceOver will read your selected texts to you. It might not be something you want to employ that often, but tired eyes might appreciate having a book read to them at certain times.
8. Manually Add Pins to Maps to Mark Locations

In the iPhone’s Maps app, you can add pins which make navigating to a point or sharing your location super easy to do.
In Maps, you’ll see a blue Post-It-style note icon on the bottom-right corner. Tapping this will give you the option to drop a pin. Selecting this drops a purple pin in the map, which you can drag to exactly where you want it.

Now that you’ve placed your pin, you’ll see a label that hovers over it. This leads to even more functionality.

Clicking through on the label gives you the options to get directions to that point, from that point, and also share that location via e-mail or text message as well as bookmark it. We think this functionality could be super useful for navigating your way back to your car, or a camp site, for example.

And while we’re on the topic of Maps, here’s a bonus tip. Did you know that hitting the arrow-shaped icon on the bottom-left of your display will activate the phone’s compass and show you on the map exactly which direction you’re facing? Clever, huh?
9. Swipe to Delete

There are some handy features for deleting messages more quickly. The most common way to delete multiple messages in e-mail is to hit “Edit,” select the messages you want gone, and then hit the big, red delete button. Alternatively, you can simply swipe to bring up a delete option.
In your inbox, swipe your finger from right to left across a message and you’ll see a delete button appear. Press it and the message is toast.
Gmail users, however, may only get the option to “Archive,” so if you’re using Gmail you’ll have to tweak your settings first. To do this, go to “Settings,” “Mail, Contacts, Calendars,” “Google Mail” and then toggle the “Archive Messages” option to “Off.” This will now reveal that delete option.
This swiping trick can also be used for phone messages, Notes and more.

10. Add Folders to the Dock

The ability to create folders is one huge improvement brought with iOS4, and is a very popular feature when it comes to organizing and accessing apps. In using folders, there’s a neat trick that will let you have all your most-used apps on your phone’s homescreen.
To create a folder, just press and hold any app until it starts wiggling. Then, drag the app into another app that you’d like to include in the same folder. The iPhone will automatically generate a name for the folder based on its contents. You can edit this name by pressing and holding the folder icon.

Once you’ve got your folders made, if you clear something less useful out of the dock (you can only have four things in at a time) you can drag and drop your folder into the dock for super-fast access.
With clever folder creation (Work, Play, Phone, Tools, etc) you could pretty much have everything you need one tap away from the homescreen, rather than scrolling through endless screens of apps.

More iPhone Resources from Mashable: - HOW TO: Make Free iPhone Ringtones - 10 Useful iPhone Keyboard Shortcuts, Tips and Tricks - 10 Incredible iPhone Portrait Photographs - 10 Incredible iPhone Photographs - 10 Ridiculous iPhone Accessories [PICS]
Reviews: Gmail, SafariMore About: apple, how to, how tos, iBooks, iOS, iOS4, iphone, iphone 4, iphone apps, List, Lists, tips and tricks
For more Apple coverage:Follow Mashable Apple on TwitterBecome a Fan on FacebookSubscribe to the Apple channelDownload our free apps for iPhone and iPad