One of the features I like about the iPhone is the way it checks whether any of the apps installed on a phone have been updated with newer, or working, versions. This week has seen a steady flow of updates available for the apps on my iPhone.
The TomTom satnav app has had a major (and I mean BIG) update - so big that you can't carry it out over 3G, only via a wi-fi connection, or direct from iTunes on your computer - and there are two changes that I'm really glad to see. Firstly, my maps are now up to date (although I have yet to test it through the city centre where at the moment the app tries to send me down roads that no longer exist!), and secondly the annoying interruption to music everytime there was a direction called out has gone, and now is replaced with a gentle reduction in music volume while the direction is called out, and then the music fades back up without being stopped. Much better TomTom, much better!
The Skysports Football Sports Centre app has updated, so that now I can choose to feature news and results from the club of my choice on the first page. They've also introduced video feeds, but these are premium and require an additional monthly fee to access.
My Flickr app has been updated (I use this for uploading images to the school photostream that is used within the school iPhone app) to ensure it runs better, and works with iPhone OS 3.2, as have several of my fun games and activities too.
Not only have these apps updated, but the app I've been desperate to update - the school app - has recently been submitted to Apple for review, and that has since appeared showing as an update to the new improved ( and working!!) version in the app store early into the weekend.
This version of the school app now contains school articles (from the website), video (from our Vimeo account), audio (from our Jellycast podcasts) and images (the Flickr photostream) as well as new features for the local community / parents and friends of the school to use. These now include local, national and education news reports, latest news from Nottinghamshire County Council (via Twitter), news from the local secondary school (part of our family of schools), and news from The Parents Lounge - a website containing handy information for parents. We've also added information about local events for families to get involved with too.
I'm now happy with how this app looks. It can be used by pupils to see what has been added to the school wesbite, but can also be useful to parents and the local community. It is yet another way we are reaching out into the community and making links and connections.
There is one other update I'm waiting for still. That's the update to the iPhone OS from 3.1 to 3.2. No firm news on the date that this will be available, but expect it around the time that the iPad is released.
