Make your holiday snaps look like they were taken by Nan Goldin... or put rainbows on them, or just make them look better. We do a round-up of the best iPhone photo apps to magic up your phone pictures into works of art.

It emerged last week that the iPhone 4 was the 2nd most used camera on global photo-sharing site Flickr - showing not just that loads of people take pictures on their iPhones, but that they are proud of them too.

The camera on the back of the iPhone 4 is a relatively modest 5 megapixels, but Apple's insistence on the high quality sensor inside and auto focus means that it is very light-sensitive and produces sharp attractive images.

Then there are the iPhone photo apps. Where Hipstamatic led, many have followed, all promising to whiz up snaps of your mates down the pub into beautiful retro masterpieces.

What's more - they do genuinely work. Who knew that picture of your cat on the sofa could look so damn good? Then there are a host of other useful apps that can help with anything from sharing to editing to putting rainbows on your friend's heads..

Here are ten of our favourite photo apps for iPhone.

Steve Jobs broke Apple's silence about the iPhone tracking houha by replying to an email from a concerned iPhone owner. Steve's response was brief and vague about Apple's activities but he accused Google of tracking users of its Android phones too..

[via MacRumours]

Apple owners were scandalised to find out last week that their iPhones are tracking them and storing a record of everywhere they've been. The file doesn't just stay on the phone, it gets copied onto their computer everytime they sync it with iTunes.

Revealed by computer security experts - the existence of this file seemed an infringement of privacy, to breach trust between Apple and its users and well, open up some security flaws as the information could be used by ill-intentioned users. This file could be easy to access for hackers who knew what they were looking for.

The tracking file doesn't record your GPS location, but pinpoints the locations of Wi-Fi access points and cell towers that the device comes within range of. However this still offers a clear general track of a user's movements.

We know that our smartphones know where we are, but it's the storage of that information that opens up problems.

I think we'd all like more of a response from Steve and from Apple..

[via MacRumours]

iPhone autocorrect is a useful tool that helps everyone type faster. It's smart - recognising and accepting names from your address, but sometimes it still gets it wrong. Chronicled in great blog DamnYouAutoCorrect, here are five of the most annoying ones.

1. "Fuck" to "Duck"
A classic autocorrect, I think Apple has phased this out after complaints. It was like your nan, jumping in, telling you to wash your mouth out.

2. Capitalising "hun"
Maybe I shouldn't call people "hun" - short for "honey" - but iPhone really doesn't like this. It thinks I'm referring to the ancient Germanic tribe led by Attila and always capitalises it to "Hun" so it looks like I'm racially insulting a German person, when I'm just trying to be nice to my friend.

3. Hell to He'll
I meant to say "hell" goddarn it Steve.

4. Ill to I'll
Ill is a real word. It's a useful word! Sometimes I don't want to say "sick".

5. I get annoyed when it capitalises up iPhone and iPad
But other stuff like your friend's girlfriend's name gets misspelled and it makes it look like you went to the trouble of capitalising your gadgets correctly but you can't be bothered to spell "saskia" or something.

We'll leave you with this great screenshot from DamnYouAutoCorrect:

After much to-and-fro, it looks like the iPhone 5 will be released in September instead of the traditional June date.

The iPhone is still the smartphone that sets standards for all mobile phones and other manufacturers are chasing Apple on specs and design. So what can we expect from the new device? What is Apple still holding back?

1) An aerial that works
- iPhone 4 notoriously has poor reception, due, partly, to it's flashy exterior aerial. Apple was forced to issue free bumper cases to reduce the problem. We'll expect this to be tweaked at the very least on the iPhone 5. Possibly with the aerial retreating back inside the case.

2) A faster chip
This is almost certain. We're expecting something along the lines of the dual-core 1.2GHz processor that powers the iPad 2. Good news for those who like to multitask and run complex apps.

3) LTE or 4G internet capability
Sadly this is practically useless for us in Britain. We won't get the fast 4G internet networks set up until at least 2015. But it's possible Steve Jobs will want the next iPhone to take advantage of the new fast internet networks available in the United States.

4) Slimmer
Every year the iPhone gets a bit slimmer. We should probably expect that again this year, probably accompanied by a change in design - maybe a return to the rounded edges of the 3GS and the iPod Touch.

5) Some more apps
There'll be a new iOS update with - we imagine - some funky new apps. Apple made GarageBand for the iPad 2, there will probably be some nice new software toys with the iPhone 5.

6) High definition sound
This would be a really nice addition to the iPhone. Jess pointed out on ShinyShiny recently why this could be the next frontier for phone-makers.

7) Better camera
The iPhone 4 camera is already very good, but it's possible that Apple will bump up the megapixel count a bit on both the front and back cameras.

Any more thoughts/ hopes / prayers?

We're all aware that the iPhone has GPS and that is is capable of tracking our movements, but few -read no-one - was aware that it actually logs and stores a track of where you go on your computer.

Turns out it does. All iPhones with iOS4 or later updates, store a little map of everywhere you go, and that map is transferred over to your computer when you sync your phone with iTunes.

The map is correlated with time to what the data researcher Pete Warden calls a "high degree of accuracy". Warden, along with another security expert, Alasdair Allan discovered the file on the iPhone, and are presenting their findings at the Where 2.0 conference in San Francisco on Wednesday.

As with all data storage problems, the issue is not specifically with the data gathered - so what if you were in the office on Tuesday morning? - but with the potential use of it by malevolent other users - jealous husbands, stalkers etc. Or just anyone with access to your computer.

We're all aware, and presumably comfortable with, the fact that iPhone photos are geo-tagged - you can see that easily on the albums tab which organises your photos on a map according to where you took them, but this is something else.

Walden and Alisdair have created an app which extracts this mapping file from iTunes and displays it graphically showing your movements on a map. Called The iPhone Tracker you can download it here and also read installation instructions.

Apple is famous for being tight-lipped about its processes but where sensitive user data is involved like this, it's not just a company policy it's a breach of trust with the consumer who didn't consent to this.

Why on earth would Apple do this?
Warden and Allan hypothesize:

"It's unclear. One guess might be that they have new features in mind that require a history of your location, but that's pure speculation. The fact that it's transferred across devices when you restore or migrate is evidence the data-gathering isn't accidental."

Here's the ReadMe explaining the app below:

iPhone Tracker
==============

= iPhone Tracker
By http://twitter.com/aallan[Alasdair Allan] and http://twitter.com/petewarden[Pete Warden].

This tool scans through the backup files that are automatically created when you sync your iPhone with your OS X computer, extracts any recorded location information, and displays it as an animatable map.

It *doesn't* record or share any of this information, it's purely a tool for visualizing the data on your machine. It's open source, so feel free to check the code and compile it yourself if you're concerned.

The goal is to demonstrate how much data your iPhone is collecting on your movements, and how easy it is for any program on your computer to access that information. The coordinates and time periods are deliberately shown with low accuracy to make this application less useful as a snooping tool, but the underlying data has a lot more detail.

[via Guardian]

At £9.99 from iTunes this app better be good. The app, elegantly named "Divorce?", is specially tailored at guiding couples through the divorce laws of England and Wales.

"Divorce law is complex and outcomes will vary according to precise circumstances," note the app developers, advising people to also get professional help also.

But in the first instance, this app will give you an idea of what's coming if you proceed - the divorce procedure, how much it will cost, issues surrounding child care, finance, how to choose a lawyer and how to budget, even.

Users have praised the plain English language used in the app, which has been authored by leading family lawyer, Peter Martin, head of family law at OGR Stock Denton. He told the Guardian:

"The purpose of Divorce? is to make people really think through their decision. It allows couples to have their eyes open before embarking on the formal stages of the process and spending money on legal fees. People don't always think through the actual implications of divorce and this app makes them do that from the moment they start contemplating the idea. It might hopefully even encourage some people not to give up on their marriage so easily and try to work things out."

Usually, regular as clockwork, an new iPhone will come out in June/July. Like the cherry blossom or the summer holidays, Steve Jobs will pop on stage with a black poloneck and some even shinier and even slimmer variation on the iPhone.

Steve is off ill at the minute - a real tragedy - but it looks like not only will someone else be up on stage presenting the next iPhone but it might be several months late too...

The reasons seem to be do with part suppliers and amassing enough iPhones to meet projected demand..

Business Insider quotes FBR Capital Markets analyst Craig Berger:

"For the iPhone 5, we continue to hear that a July launch is unlikely, with various casing suppliers and touch suppliers still ramping up, with some chip vendors not having yet received firm iPhone 5 orders, and with other sockets like the image sensor (most likely going to Omnivision exclusively, but with some potential for Sony to split that socket) still in flux. Given these factors, we think a September launch is more likely, off from Apple's traditional iPhone launch schedule, but giving the firm more time to enhance its next-generation instant communications on the phone."

UPDATED: 23/02/11

An app that lets your friends see and track your location was always going to get made, but Geoloqi have made this idea seem useful and sociable instead of like some Big Brother nightmare of the Daily Mail.

With an open API and a really smart user experience, this looks like it could be the app that finally persuades people to share and track their location online.

Why it's different to Foursquare and Facebook Places
Location sharing has been around for a couple of years- Foursquare, Gowalla, and could be on the brink of going mainstream with Facebook Places and the new corporate Deals they have stitched up (see more here).

Geoloqi just extends the functionality a bit - instead of checking in at a single place, you can track yourself real time. So say you set the app to track your location for 30 minutes and you email the link to your friend, she can see your path updating as you move around, to within an accuracy of 1m. It leaves a little black line on the screen marking where you have been.

And instead of only other people on your network being able to see you (for example, only Facebook friends can see where you check in on Facebook Places)... pretty much anyone you want to can see your location, because the link to the map where you are can be emailled, texted or shared with Facebook and Twitter.

Oh yes - and there are apps for almost all platforms: Blackberry, iPhone, Android and Nokia.

Geoloqi can do other stuff like automatically check you in on Foursquare after you've been on

It can also automate some phone tasks according to your location - ie sending a text message to your friends when you're half a mile away from your meet-up spot.

Safety precautions
There are safety measures: the links for tracking people expire after a set amount of time - with the default being 10 minutes so that you can chose how long your movements are visible for.

You can also share your location anonymously. But I guess the main safety precaution is that you don't share your location with people you don't trust. Same way you don't make Facebook friends with people you don't know..

Three occasions when Geoloqi could be useful

1) When it's your birthday party, you're moving between venues and you want your friends to be able to find where you are without each of them having to ring you. Post your location on Facebook for an hour so that people can find you.

2) If you're leading a march or protest and the route is variable but you want your supporters to be able to find you wherever you are... turn on tracking, give the phone to the leader of the march and post it on Twitter so your followers can work out where you are.

3) If you go for a run, or a wander and want to track how far you've gone and what your movements have been afterwards - set the tracker to run for an hour and email yourself the link, when you get back, you'll be able to see it on the app.

Normal styluses don't work on iPhone because it requires something You know when it's freezing cold, you're wearing gloves and your iPhone doesn't work because you need to touch it with a moist surface that conducts electricity for it to work? In Japan they use sausages. You can now also use a giant retro style pencil to get the same effect.

Without having to take off your gloves.

Made of electro-conductive rubber, it is also chunky and hand-friendly. The stylus could also be useful for drawing applications, or if you don't like getting that pretty screen smudged.

Will also work for iPad and iPod, and well anything with a capacitive touch screen.

$9.99 on ThinkGeek
via iphoneaccessories

Could the iPhones domination of the smartphone market be slowing down?
There have been numerous figures released this week, revealing Android devices are beginning to out selling the iPhone in both the US and worldwide market. In addition a number of retailers including Expansy, have revealed the iPhone has not even broken the top 5 phones sold this week.

However, while the Android system is available on hundreds of devices, Apple is still managing to hold its own in the market share - and even announced that Christmas sales were up 82% on the previous year. So it might be a bit soon to take bids, but it certainly seems that they will need to up their game if they want to remain the market leader

Find Expansy's top 5 bestselling smartphones below.

1. HTC Desire HD

2. Motorola Milestone 2

3. Motorola DEFY

4. HTC Desire

5. HTC Desire Z

The Guardian has released its new iPhone app today. The app has been launching with the intent of providing readers with "more frequent updates", and a a broader range of content and make the iPhone news-browsing process a better experience.

While the new app is free to download, you will have to get a six-month or yearly subscription, the former costing £2.99 and the latter £3.99. For this, readers can expect to receive free goal alerts for many UK and European football matches, video content, comments, and trending stories from the Guardian website and across Twitter and Facebook.

US phone network Verizon have finally won the right to sell the iPhone on their network, after breaking the monopoly AT&T had on the device.

They're flagging up their reliability as a contrast to competitors AT&T who have faced many complaints about lack of signal.

But it won't work on Verizon's super fast LTE 4G network. "The first gen LTE chipsets force design changes we wouldn't make," said Apple's Tim Cook. "And Verizon customers told us they want the iPhone now. I can't tell you the number of times we've been asked, 'when will it work on Verizon.'"

It's already being advertised on the Verizon website.

Yes, Brits, this doesn't make much difference for us.... we already have a choice of carriers for the iPhone in the UK - 5 in fact.

It seems like almost every iPhone owner is using the Hipstamatic app these days to capture the world around them. It is this success that has inspired the Orange Dot Gallery in London to dedicate a whole exhibition to the retro photograph app.

The exhibit will showcase 157 prints taken from the popular hipstamatic blog hipstamatics.com. This is the same number as the amount of original analog cameras produced. Creating a homage to both the history and future of Hipstamatics, the exhibition will showcase some of the best works featured on the site to date, from both submitted snaps from around the globe and their own specially sourced and exclusive work.

The exhibit aims to illustrate the fact that people around the globe have begun producing outstanding lo fi photography all from their mobile phone.

The exhibit runs from 14th January 2011- 31st January 2011. For more information go here

Ever been stuck without a bottle opener? Unfortunately there isn't an app for that but don't worry the iBottle iPhone case has you covered. This iPhone case, combines two of the most essential tools - the phone and the bottle opener. It also comes with the added bonus that you will always know where your phone is when your drinking.

Available from Think Geek for $16.99

Okay I've seen some weird iPhone accessories in my time, but my god, this takes the biscuit. It's not a speaker dock shaped like a football - it's a blood pressure monitor, one of those ones you strap around your arm.

The Withings Blood Pressure monitor works with your iPhone or iPod and has just been announced at CES. It's from the makers of the WiScale a smart weighing machine that syncs data about your weight to your iPhone, and has the same big advantage - letting you monitor your health and understand it better.

They're doing the same thing here, just with blood pressure. Plug the monitor into your iPhone, strap it on, and take a reading. The Withings Blood Pressure Monitor automatically averages measurements to produce significant results. You can access your measurement history on your iPhone or on a computer at the withings website.

French company Withings explain why they decided to get into Blood pressure:

"With hypertension affecting almost 25% of the world population, blood pressure measurement can help to save lives. However, until now, taking your blood pressure required the use of complex devices with multiple manipulations, mathematical operations and data recording procedures. Self-measurement has been recommended by the medical profession for many years , but no one had yet found concrete solutions to expand its use."

It's a really smart idea, obviously at £ it's not something you'd buy for the hell of it, but if you're worried about your blood pressure, this could be a really valuable tool..

Christmas cards maybe not be as popular as they once were, but it is still nice to both send and receive festive messages from family and friends. That is why I really like the new Cartolina holiday iPhone app.

Cartolina Cards are designed and produced in British Columbia, Canada by graphic designer Fiona Richards. The iPhone app allows you to pick from a collection of beautifully designed holiday-themed greetings. You can then email or text to your friends and family (in multiple languages) your customized greeting. They are perfect if you're hosting a holiday party or just want to send a little digital hello. The new app at the App Store for $1.99.

Of course there's an iPhone app that helps you buy ripe fruit. How could I have ever have imagined otherwise? How did people even buy fruit before the app store was invented?

Released today, Fruit Guide offers photography and reference text to help users select "only the finest, healthiest fruits available". This is one of those apps that will undoubtedly be of help to hipsters and anyone who frequents organic food markets.

The app for iPhone, iPod and iPad is by HackingFresh and currently displays more than twenty-nine of the most popular fruits. Don't worry if lychees aren't up there yet - they say more are being added all the time and users are welcome to submit suggestions for new additions to the existing list of fruits.

Browsing through it, I must say that some of the observations aren't exactly rocket science, like when it says that Golden Delicious apples are best when they are "light green". But on trickier stuff like avocados, this could be a useful little resource. Though yes, you will look like a pratt if you stand for too long looking at your iPhone in the supermarket aisle.

It's quite a pricey £1.19, but then think how much you'll save over time by not buying bad fruit.

Fruit Guide is £1.19 on iTunes

Related:

Printing from your iPhone or iPad just got a bit easier as Epson updated their free app for iPhone, iPod and iPad called PrintJinni. [We think "jinni" is a cute way of saying "genie"].

You need a wireless printer - Epson recommends their WorkForce, Artisan and Epson Stylus NX models - but once you have one, the app makes it much easier to connect with them.

Provided both the iPhone and the printer need to be hooked up to the wifi it previews and prints without the need for an intermediate computer. The app will mainly be useful for printing email attachments - whether that's PDF, Word, Excel or Powerpoint documents. It also prints JPEGs.

The new edition lets iPad users print iWork documents and uses the screen better. The search and preview functions have been improved too.

The app, currently $6.99, will be free by the end of December but has only been released in the US and Canada, we're hoping for a UK release soon.

Printjinni on iTunes

We love this one. A witty decal (that's a sticker to us Brits) for iPhone 4 mocks up a call from Steve Jobs on the back of your phone. It copies the ringing screen for the iPhone and put the face and name of the Great Leader on it.

We like the way they just call him "Steve".

Okay, it won't fool anyone for *very* long, but it's the thought that counts.. A must for the Apple die-hards out there.

Call from Steve iPhone 4 Decal is £6.50 from Etsy

Weight Watchers has launched a new iPhone app just in time for all those holiday parties and dinners.

The new app helps users to follow the Weight Watchers weight loss plan, by monitoring what they eat and drink as well as calculate ProPoints (the different values given to food and drink on the plan) while they are out and about. Weight Watchers members who use the app will be able to to track the ProPoints values of food and activities on the go, as it automatically syncs to their online account.

There is also a free version of the app is also available, which provides some basic ProPoints values for food and menus, as well as recipes, weight loss tips and an interactive community board. It also features interactive 'cheat sheets' which tell you the number of ProPoints values for basic meals such as pizza slices, sandwiches or salads

The app is available for download here