While games can certainly have the effect of creating reclusive individuals, OpenFeint has enabled a more social experience in many iphone and ipod games. This social gaming service has connected users to game-wide leaderboards, discussion boards, and competition platforms, and just announced today some additional features to come. OpenFeint will be adding PlayTime to its repertoire, enabling multiplayer features and voice-chat functions. Read the rest of this entry »

For the final eco app, I thought I’d spotlight something that encourages possibly the oldest trick in the book when it comes to being ecologically efficient. As is implied by the name, Carsharing enables just that: sharing rides, better known as carpooling. Since it follows obvious logic that fewer cars on the road = less gas emissions and more money in the pocket, Carsharing enables people to identify other travelers or drivers in their area in order to share rides and reduce the number of vehicles in use. Read the rest of this entry »

While many barcode readers exist for the iPhone, Barcode Hero adds the element of social networking to your scans. With Barcode Hero, not only can you do typical barcode related activities like comparing prices and getting related product suggestions, but you can also follow friends and see what they’re scanning and what they recommend. Furthermore, the app has Facebook integration so your shopping activity can be blasted on your profile, and it builds your badge collection, as you can receive badges, points, and special statuses for buying items. Barcode Hero also enables its users to create and send wish lists, making gift giving (and receiving) a much easier process. With Barcode Hero, shopping with friends is even easier, and your scans present a whole new realm of social possibility.

Sometimes the best words to describe your mood are not your own. That’s where Quotes for Facebook comes in. Even though your status updates are ultimately about you, you don’t necessarily need to be the one formulating the words for them. Therefore, Quotes for Facebook endows you with over 3000 quotes spanning 40 categories so that you are always armed with the perfect adage to update to your Facebook or Twitter. Furthermore, the app gives you background information on the author of the quote so that you understand the context of the words you’re using! Other features include multiple search and browse options, shuffle mode, e-mail capabilities, and the ability to customize how the quote will look when it’s posted to your profile. Now, if you want to signal more discreetly how you’re feeling or just make your happenings have a more poetic flow, you have the proper tools in your arsenal to do so. With Quotes for Facebook, you’ll never be at a loss for words again!

Smartphones are great, but inherently dangerous on the roads. People can’t seem to disconnect from emailing or texting while driving, creating a situation of too many tasks, not enough hands (or eyes for that matter). Fortunately, some savvy app developers have realized the need to address this issue and have created Textn’Drive. With this app, you don’t need to risk your life on the road to respond to an email. Textn’Drive reads your emails aloud to you and enables you to respond to them using your voice! It’s like the next generation of handsfree mode! What’s more, the SMS element of the app is in development, so you will soon be able to do the same with your texts. This is the ideal app for frantic business types or email addicts in general, and there’s no better time to invest in Textn’Drive than now, during their 50% off launch special. Keep your hands and eyes on the road, and let your voice take care of the rest.

Hooray to all the Mac lovers. One of my favorite apps — Headset — is finally available for iPhone/Mac (formerly it was only an iPhone/Windows software).

Save your buck and never buy again an always breaking wired headsets for your online VoIP communication. Why bother if you have quality speaker and microphone in your iPhone? The app connects iPhone wirelessly to your desktop or notebook computer (you have to only install a free dekstop software) and voila — you can call on Skype, Google Talk, AIM etc and have all your audio coming in and out of your iPhone, isn’t it great?

But there is more to it! You can RECORD your conversations! You can also have a flexibility to walk out to another room from your computer since you are connected to it via WiFi. Check it out!

Gowalla has always been celebrated for its beauty edge when it comes to social-networking LBS apps. However, the iPhone 4 has just allowed it to achieve supermodel status. Gowalla has taken the retina display in the new and improved device to produce sharp, high resolution graphics and is updating every single element of the app until it is aesthetically stunning. This means that if you were previously ambivalent about the pins you received, you will now want to acquire them just because they and the app are so beautiful. Read the rest of this entry »