TomTom app for iPhone Version 1.3 includes additional advanced features that are available for free to existing TomTom app customers:

• Local Search powered by Google – The TomTom app for iPhone now provides a countless number of points of interest at the user’s fingertips. Users can tap into the latest local Google listings from within the TomTom app to locate and route to anything from restaurants to flower shops.
• Pinch and Zoom – Integrating one of the iPhone’s most popular features, the latest version of the TomTom app allows users to “pinch and zoom” for a more detailed view of the navigation map.
• New Map Update
• Automatic Day/Night Mode – For a safer drive, the TomTom app now also calculates local sunrise and sunset times to automatically adjust the screen brightness while driving.
• Music Fading – This music fading feature ensures that you never miss a navigation instruction while listening to music on your iPhone. The music volume decreases during turn-by-turn instructions and then increases when instructions are complete.
• Add to TomTom Feature – Save locations from other iPhone apps and Web browsers to your TomTom app.

The new version of the software is available for free to existing TomTom app for iPhone customers. For new users, the TomTom app for iPhone, including maps of the U.S., is available for $59.99. The app, including maps of U.S. and Canada, is available for $69.99. TomTom Traffic for iPhone users is available via in-app purchase for an additional $19.99 per 12 months of service.

“We are thrilled to offer journalists and partners an exclusive preview of Opera Mini for iPhone during the year’s biggest mobile event,” said Jon von Tetzchner, Co-founder, Opera Software. “This is a unique opportunity to introduce the fast, feature-rich Opera Mini experience for the iPhone, and to showcase our latest beta releases of Opera Mobile and Opera Mini on other platforms and devices. Opera’s mission is to bring the Web to the world, and by making Opera Mini available on yet another platform, we are one step closer.”

The new app features viewing, editing and creation capabilities of Microsoft Office Word and Excel files and is fully integrated with the Quickoffice Connect service. This enables users to create, access and edit documents stored on their devices, as well as access remote content and share via email and/or return to their remote repositories. Users also have access to Quickoffice’s file manager, email attachment forwarding capabilities and desktop file transfer via WiFi or mounting the device as a drive. Additional access providers and subsequent services will be available in future releases as upgrade options. Current Quickoffice Mobile Office Suite owners will receive a free upgrade and the application will be rebranded to Quickoffice Connect Mobile Suite.

The new version’s MyRoutes feature turns the iPhone into a personal route planner. Route calculations take the user’s personal driving style, the day of the week and the time of day into account. The feature then bases future route recommendations and arrival time calculations on the user’s personal driving style. NavigonMyRoutes recommends up to three routes for the driver to choose from but also recommends the best route for them – based on their previous driving behaviour. In addition to these features, functions such as Google Local Search and the option of entering geographic coordinates are also available for all.

Update to 1.5.0 can also be optionally enhanced with Panorama View3D. The display, based on the surroundings, improves orientation and gives the user a realistic overview of the landscape. iPhone users can buy Panorama View3D as an in-app purchase for 9.99 euros.

From February 9th to 28th the current European Software-version of MobileNavigator is available for a promotion price of 74,99 euros (instead of 99,99 euros). During this time the price of the traffic service Traffic Live is also reduced from 24.99 euros to 14.99 euros.

PAYware Mobile provides small businesses with simple and secure card processing capabilities using the iPhone. The app and patent-pending card encryption technology are provided free in conjunction with a PAYware gateway services agreement.

VeriFone’s sleek and durable card encryption sleeve slips over iPhone to accommodate card swipes and allow merchants to avoid high-cost “card-not-present” fees. It incorporates a stylus for signature capture and a mini-USB port for charging iPhone while the ergonomic encryption sleeve is attached. The card encryption sleeve peripheral for the iPhone 3G and 3GS is available through authorized VeriFone distributors.

[via slashgear]

VoIP on the iPhone has been the source of many debates with companies such as Google being denied access to the platform and the FCC inquiring as to the restrictions in the Apple App Store; iCall is one of the few VoIP applications that has been permitted by Apple to operate on the iPhone platform.

iCall CEO Arlo Gilbert is quoted as saying, “I applaud Apple’s decision to allow iCall to extend its functionality beyond Wi-Fi and onto the 3G networks. This heralds a new era for VoIP applications on mobile platforms, especially for iCall and our free calling model. I hope that now more developers will begin using our VoIP as a platform to integrate VoIP into their applications.”

With the Dragon Dictation App, spoken words are instantly transcribed using the world-renowned power of Dragon NaturallySpeaking speech recognition, giving anyone the power to simply “say anything” up to five times faster than typing. Dragon Dictation allows users to speak anything from a one-line text message or status update for Facebook, to a multi-paragraph e-mail. For instance, simply say, “We should meet at the restaurant at 7 and then go to the movies. I’ll pick up Scott in Cupertino after he gets off work. See you then.” Users can start and stop as needed or just speak free form to capture a quick brainstorm idea or reminder. It’s completely up to you.

The Dragon Dictation App is available for free for a limited time from the App Store on iPhone or at http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/dragon-dictation/id341446764?mt=8.

The new AT&T Mark the Spot app will add to AT&T’s existing network performance data to further fine-tune network investment planning and prioritization moving forward. The app, available today as a free download via the iTunes App Store, enables users to provide valuable feedback with as little as two button clicks. When a network service issue is encountered, the customer can simply press a button to indicate the nature of the situation, and add notes to describe the situation if desired. From there, the app automatically notes the location, time of day and type of device used, and the report is sent directly to AT&T’s network planning team.

“With AT&T Mark the Spot, we’re applying the power of crowdsourcing to our ongoing efforts to enhance and expand our network,” said AT&T Chief Technology Officer John Donovan. “Feedback from customers via AT&T Mark the Spot, combined with data from more than 964,000 miles of drive testing conducted by an independent third-party source, will enable us to most quickly and effectively identify trends and maximize the impact of our ongoing network investment. We encourage all customers to download and use the app.”

AT&T Mark the Spot was developed earlier this year, and has been used by AT&T employees for the past several months. AT&T plans to launch versions of the AT&T Mark the Spot app for additional smartphone devices in the coming months.

“Our latest update adds the most highly anticipated advanced features to the TomTom app. These major enhancements and new features will be a great complement to its easy-to-use and intuitive interface, turn-by-turn spoken navigation and unique routing technology,” said Benoit Simeray, TomTom’s senior vice president, on-board mobile. “We’re also pleased to be able to offer this major update to existing TomTom app for iPhone customers for free.”

Everything in Trillian for iPhone is straightforward. A contacts screen displays all your IM contacts, properly grouped and sorted. Chat windows showcase a neat bubble view and tabs so you can easily chat (including copy/paste!) with multiple contacts just like you do on your desktop. You can set your status, set your avatar, set your status message and so on. In addition, since this is Trillian, you can manage your many IM connections grouped under multiple identities!

Trillian for iPhone is always connected to the Astra server, and utilizes the ability of Astra assets to be instantaneously synchronized across multiple clients. If you change your avatar or display name on your iPhone, the change will be immediately reflected on your Windows client as well as your Astra Profile online. If you add a contact on the iPhone, it will show up on your Windows client right away, or vice versa – there is no need to re-add or re-organize your contacts.

When allowed by the backing service, Trillian supports multiple devices utilizing the same IM services with the same usernames. Your Astra, AIM, and all XMPP-powered services will always be online without ever worrying about kicking another connection offline. Because not all IM services support this concept, we’ve also made sure that Trillian for iPhone has its own autoconnect settings, independent of your desktop!

Chatting on a train as it heads into a tunnel? Thanks to our in-house “Octopus” server technology, your Trillian for iPhone sessions are safely stored server-side, ensuring you’ll never miss a message due to spotty service conditions. Even if you exit the application, upon coming back online all of your previous chat windows and messages will be waiting for you. You can even configure Trillian for iPhone to set itself away when the application closes down.

With the new iPhone OS 3.0, iPhones can now receive push notifications from service providers like Trillian Astra. What this means is that once logged on, your iPhone will instantly alert you whenever you receive an instant message, even if the application itself is closed! A pop-up window will appear showing the message with the signature Trillian sound; simply click the “View” button to reload Trillian and reply in the chat window right away.

One downside to mobile devices is screen real estate. If you have 500+ friends, the iPhone may have a hard time fitting all of them in one place. That’s why we are introducing a brand new feature, Favorites, which allows you to pin the contacts you chat with the most in a separate list for super quick access! What’s more, in order to let you find your contacts as quickly as possible, we’ve implemented an instant search feature on the contacts screen – simply click the search button, begin typing and watch the results appear.

Trillian is built to manage multiple contacts, multiple connections, and multiple chats at the same time. To achieve this, we’ve implemented a chats screen and a tabbed chat window to show all your open chats at a glance. With the chats screen, you can see all the latest messages from each contact in one place – no fiddling between tabs. With our tabbed chat window, you can switch between chats with a single tap, or browse between them with swipes. The tabs also display useful real-time information including avatars, typing notifications and unread message counts.

Our native Astra service shines in Trillian for iPhone. You can instantly send pictures from your photo album or directly from your camera to your friends. Friends on the Trillian Windows client can also send you pictures or even hand-drawn messages for easy display on the phone! The included user information viewer allows you to see a simplified version of one’s Astra Profile: location, basic demographics, and status. Even the buzz feature will vibrate your phone like it should!

To use Trillian for iPhone, an Astra Account is required. Your connections and contacts are seamlessly kept between devices, and a single account means you can optionally and securely share your connections between devices. As our Trillian Astra platform continues to mature, you will begin to see strong ties between Trillian’s desktop and web editions. Once you register, you will be able to use the same account on any edition of Trillian, no extra setup necessary! The best part: registration is easy and painless and can be done right on your iPhone!