iPhone apps capitalise on iOS4 update

With the release of Apple’s latest iPhone and iPod operating system iOS4 last week, the quality control team at the iTunes App Store has been hard-at-work approving updates to iPhone applications in the past week.

Not only does this mean loads of updates for users, but it also means a couple of new apps showing up on the app store which have taken advantage of the new operating system’s capabilities such as an improved battery life, the ability to create folders, and of course, multi-tasking.

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Here are three notable apps which caught my eye and are worthy of a mention:

Farmville by Zynga (FREE)
The popular Facebook web app, which has almost 83 million active users playing the game, finally has its own iPhone app. The Facebook flash game, in which you manage a virtual farm alongside neighbours, now allows you to do so on the go, syncing back in real-time to the Facebook version. The free iPhone app also offers push notification alerts when it is time to harvest your crops, as well as a couple of added features to ensure your cows are always milked on time. Also included in the app are in-app purchases, which allows you to “top-up” your spending budget.

Twitter for iPhone (FREE)
The popular Twitter for iPhone app, previously called Tweetie, also received an upgrade this past week, taking advantage of the new multi-tasking feature from iOS4. With the update, once you exit the app it continues running in the background, allowing the completion of sending tweets, as well as keeping your place in your Twitter timeline. Twitter is one of the few apps to have taken real advantage of this great feature in the first week, and I’m looking forward to seeing a couple of more apps using the new technology in the coming weeks.

ooTunes Radio ($4.99)
The ooTunes Radio iPhone app allows you to stream live radio stations from around the world. A number of South African radio stations are included in the app such as 5FM, Highveld Stereo, TuksFM and others. The latest update to the app has included support for iOS4 multi-tasking, meaning you can now carry on listening to your favorite radio station once you have exited the app. This is a huge plus as previously you needed to keep the app open to listen to the stream. This must-have app brings radio to your iPhone, and is well worth every cent.