iphone posts

This is a feature in that "gee, I wish I'd of thought of that" category. The latest update to the TomTom app (version 1.5) lets you select any photo that has been geo-tagged and navigate to that location. It's great for finding that favorite picnic spot, or that great photo location.

I tried the feature out today, navigating to 2 locations I had in my iPhone photo roll. In each case, the app showed a map of the location, and with a couple of clicks I was on my way.

The app also now supports the iPhone 4 Retina display and the speed of the app is supposed to be faster but I didn't see anything dramatic. TomTom U.S.A and U.S. & Canada apps are currently available for $49.99 and $59.99, respectively. It's a really full featured way to navigate. Navigating to a photo is a really great idea, and I'd like to see some of the other nav apps add this feature as well.

Gallery: TomTom photo navigation

• Jordan
• Qatar
• Saudi Arabia
• United Arab Emirates
• Egypt

During the winter months in most of the world, you can see pump bottles of antibacterial gel scattered around most businesses as workers and visitors try to keep their hands free of pathogens. Now, a spate of suspiciously similar news items today are warning that the glass screens on iPhones, iPads, and iPods can harbor bacteria.

While that's kind of a big "Duh!" moment -- after all, who hasn't looked at a smeary iPad screen and wondered what kind of bugs are multiplying on the glass -- British researchers in one study found that mobile phones carry 18 times more bacteria than a flush handle in a men's room. Ewwwww. For viruses that have taken up residence on iPhone screens, a single touch can easily transfer them to your fingertips, which then pass the viruses to your eyes, mouth, or nose. Hello, flu!

This isn't something new; the New York Daily News swabbed four iPads in NYC Apple Stores in June, and lab results found Staphylococcus aureus (a common source of staph infections), Candida parapsilosis (a yeast), and Corynebacterium minutissimum (a common source of skin rashes). There are just so many people handing Apple devices at the stores in a typical day that it's almost impossible for them to not pick up bacteria of some sort.

How can you keep yourself from being overrun by disease vectors while using mobile electronics? There are a couple of ways. First, don't share your phone or iPad with others. That's more easily said than done in households with small children, for who Mom and Dad's phones and iPads are just another toy. Second, try to keep the screen clean by using approved cleaning sprays and wipes on a regular basis. For example, I use the Apple-approved iKlear spray and wipes on my iPad and iPhone. Finally, if you do touch a device that has been used by many other people, wash your hands thoroughly after use or use a sanitizing gel.

The reports coming out today might give you pause about handling your iToys, but using a little common sense and regular hygiene practices should keep you from contracting an infection from your devices.

[via Macworld.co.uk]

When we originally mentioned jailbreak tool limera1n we also lamented the fact that Geohot had only released a version for Windows users. Now, the weeping and gnashing of teeth may come to an end. The limera1n homepage has been updated with a version for Mac OS X users.

Both Windows and Mac users can now get in on the cat-and-mouse game and free their iPhones, iPod touches, and iPads from their shackles. Notable tricks your jailbroken iDevice can do include bypassing 3G restrictions on apps (such as with FaceTime) as well as setting up your own portable Wi-Fi hotspot.

If you give the Mac version of Limera1n a try, let us know how it goes.

[via Download Squad]