A couple of days ago OmniFocus was updated to its latest version, adding support for amongst some other things, Siri. Not having an iPhone 4S myself, I can't judge how well it works, but the idea appeals to me a lot.

Being able to through Siri create a new to-do item, on the go, without having to touch my phone really makes Siri become more of my personal assistant.

All Siri-created to-do items are saved to your inbox just like any quick entry items would have been. You can then choose to file them under projects and contexts just like you would any other item.

Additionally, OmniFocus has fixed a few bugs and changed the way items are sorted in Forecast mode, displaying inbox items at the top followed by other due items.

As usual, this version of OmniFocus is available as a free update that can be downloaded from the  
. If you don't have the app already, it sells for $19.99.

Back in August I had a review of Camera+ up, just a day after it got pulled from the AppStore for a secret feature that you could enable, assigning the volume control buttons on the iPhone as the shutter control button. This was a bit sad to see as the app is brilliant. This is why I am now very pleased to be able to review an update to the app, Camera+ 2.0, which is now available again in the App Store!

This review is very much going to focus on what is new in Camera+ 2.0 and if the changes are for the better or not.

Touch Exposure & Focus

Why leave the best until last? The most brilliant new feature in the update, which makes Camera+ my favorite photo application currently out there. Sure, the built-in camera application lets you touch to focus and in a way do touch exposure as well, however it will measure the light at the point of focus. Of course this means that you either get a perfectly exposed photo, or one that is in focus.

The beauty here is that you can control both exposure and focus separately and the way it works isn’t all that bad. Focus is, like in the built-in camera app, done by tapping anywhere in the scene. To set the exposure, you touch with a second finger at the same time as you are focusing. Being able to set these independently is just amazing to me and will make iPhone photos much better. The only downside is that the control is slightly clunky while trying to hold the iPhone still and then take a photo at the same time.

Note: This feature is only available on the iPhone 3Gs and iPhone 4 running iOS4.

Photo Flashlight

I get what you are saying now. The built-in camera app has support for the iPhone 4 led flash. Yes, it does, however not in the same way that Camera+ has.

One of the most common problems with using built-in flashes is that it is hard to control the light and knowing how the image will look, before you take it and look at it. Ever since I played with the LED light in video mode (where it is continuous), I wanted the same continuous light when taking photos. Cmaera+ enabled this for me, which makes me a happy photographer.

Other enhancements

The two major enhancements are the ones above. Camera+ still comes with all the beloved editing presets too, which was one of the highlights in the first review. Now however, you have the added bonus of being able to change the amount of each effect by sliding your finger over the image.

Before using Camera+, I have never seen an iPhone app that gave me the EXIF data of my photos as well as the editing presets applied, however Camera+ does it and include a map of where the shot was taken. Not huge, but nice to have!

In the previous review, I gave many compliments to the great interface. This time around, it has been updated to make the app even more intuitive and faster to use. While the old opening screen, showing the back of a dSLR was cool-looking, it make taking photos a little slower. Because of that, the screen is now gone and you get directly to the gorgeous take photo screen when you launch the app.

Conclusion

I confess, I truly love Camera+ after the 2.0 update. They have made it a great deal faster to use and that is what matters to me when taking and editing photos. Having to wait for the camera to open is something that should be long past. The additions of the modeling light (continuous light) for the flash and the touch exposure and focus also raise it to another level, making this my current favorite photo taking and editing app. It should therefore come as no surprise that Camera+ gets the full marks.

After being in beta to developers for over a month, iOS 4.2.1 is now released to everyone through the usual updating process in iTunes. Finally everyone gets to enjoy the added benefits on iOS 4 on the iPad with the great additions.

As an iOS developer, I get to enjoy the betas and pre-releases of all iOS software and thus I have been able to play around with this for about a month so this post is all dedicated to the additions that I have found very useful and some downsides to the update as well.

All iOS 4 features are on the iPad!

Most key new things in iOS 4.2 revolve around the features introduced into iOS 4 this past summer. Let me tell you that it is absolutely wonderful to see these finally coming to the iPad. Now I am not really that excited about the multitasking bit and being able to stream music in the background because I tend not to use my iPad for just that. Maybe I am weird in this way but music is on my iPhone, which is usually next to me whenever I am on the iPad anyway.

Related to the multitasking however is the fast app switching and this is a lovely feature, especially on the iPad. Since iOS 4 came out on the iPhone I have been constantly annoyed when I close an application that I am not launched into the very same position the next time around. This is one of the features that you just get used to, very quickly!

What my favorite addition is you ask? For the iPad, this is probably the unified single mail inbox! Around half of my iPad use relates to doing some sort of work and the email bit has had me grumpy since getting used to the new way on the iPhone. I am so glad that it is now in the iPad as well.

AirPrint and AirPlay

The two single new features, one of which is very long awaited, that I have not had much time to play with is AirPlay and AirPrint. Even though I use an Apple TV connected to my TV that is on the wireless network I just haven’t had the need for it yet but when I do, I am sure the feature will be as wonderful as it sounds.

AirPrint on the other hand has another reason for not being taken through its paces yet. It is not that I haven’t found the need for printing, trust me I have once in a while, no it is to do with hardware. Because I do not have one of HP’s ePrint enabled printers I cannot test it out straight away as the required printer sharing feature does not currently exist within Mac OS X.

I spoke to Terry yesterday about the new release and he had found an application called Fingerprint that will enable the AirPrint functionality for many non-compliant OS X printers. If you want to try it out, you can download a free trial version of the app or buy it right away for $7.99. In his testing, it found his printer right away and seems to work like a charm!

What don’t I like then?

One of the new additions in the first beta that I am unsure of is the repurposing of the screen rotation lock switch. When Apple introduced the iPad what surprised us all was that the mute button on the iPhone was a hardware screen rotation lock on the iPad, an idea which I have always found really clever. I do not miss a mute switch at all, primarily because this device does not ring me up (yet) where I wound want a fixed volume set and be able to mute without changing it.

Cutting it short, I would like my hardware button back because it actually makes sense to have it on the iPad even though I can see the reasoning for removing it based on unification in the lineup.

Conclusion

Essentially, this update is brilliant. All the iOS 4 features on the iPad with multitasking, unified mail inbox, game center and folders make for a much nicer experience. Coupled with the new AirPrint feature you would be crazy not to like it.

Sure, the screen orientation lock is no longer a physical button but it is easily accessible from the multi-tasking bar, along with a very neat brightness switch.

The update is available right from within iTunes and should show up when you sync your iPhone/iPod Touch or iPad. If not, just click on the “Check for Updates” button and you are good to go.

My favorite iPhone/iPod touch turn-by-turn GPS navigation App just got better. The 1.6 update brings iOS 4 compatibility, which of course the big news here is that it continues to work in the background if you receive a call. That's right! You'll continue to receive voice directions if another App is running in the foreground. Also once you end your call the App will take about 1 second to update the screen with your current position. That's not all. Navigon also updated the maps to the latest versions and they've added weather info for both your destination and while you're in route as well as available parking at your destination.

I took it for a test spin

Over the weekend I took the New updated Navigon App for a test drive and without even having to plan ahead, I received a call while navigating. I took the call over the hands-free bluetooth in my car and the voice prompts continued. Once I hung up from the call I was immediately returned to the app. If you want to still see the display while you're driving you can just use fast app switching in iOS 4 to go right back to Navigon and continue talking. 

My setup above is:

• The iPhone 4
• The Magellan Premium Car Kit
• A GPS beanbag friction dashboard mount

FAQ: Yes, all of the Maps are built-in to the App. No, you don't need a data connection while you're using it (except for the weather, parking and Google POI search). No it does't require your data plan (except for the 3 things I just mentioned). No it doesn't require a Car Kit unless you're using an iPod touch, which doesn't have a GPS (the car kit does). No, there are no monthly fees. You buy the App and you're done.

Navigon also put there Apps on Sale! Get the Navigon Mobile Navigator North America App here from the 

If you don't need the whole country (or you live/travel in a different country, check out their cheaper My Region Series and their other Apps here 

The competition between all of these apps has been great and as result we (the consumers) just keep winning.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bo84K678Rbc

The latest version of the WordPress for iPhone app, 2.2 has been approved into the App Store and can now be downloaded. New in this upgrade are mainly three new features.

• Reply to comments
• Edit Comments
• Highlighting new items in the comment list

These new comment moderation items should make the commenting section in the app much more useful.