Buzzie: The First Native Mobile App for Google Buzz

It looks like Google has decided against releasing new iPhone apps for the time being and has focused most of its mobile development efforts on web apps instead. While the Buzz web app is very good, however, it can't quite rival the speed and comfort of using a native iPhone app. Fiam's Buzzie is the first Buzz app for the iPhone ($1.99 - iTunes link) and even though it is still missing some features,it already gives us a good idea for what developers can achieve by using the Buzz API.

Posting to Buzz
Posting to Buzz from Buzzie is as easy as hitting the compose button, choosing if you want to attach your location to the post and hitting "send." You can use the app to send both private and public messages.
One feature that is missing here, however, is the ability to attach photos and links. Sadly, you can't set any defaults for the editor, which means that - by default - it always wants to attach your location, for example.
Photos and Links
The app handles posts with photos beautifully. You just tap on the photos and they appear in full-screen mode. Photo sharing is one of Buzz's best features and this app rightfully puts a lot of emphasis on making the photo browsing experience as seamless as possible.

The way the app handles links takes some getting used to, though.Instead of just tapping on the link, you have to push the little paperclip icon at the bottom of the screen. That's not a deal breaker, but it will surely confuse some people.
Verdict
Google is betting on HTML5 and web apps to deliver its products without having to go through the App Store approval process. Buzzie, however, shows that there are still some clear advantages to developing a native app. The app just feels a lot snappier than Google's web app for Buzz and even though it doesn't offer any new features, it makes using Buzz on the iPhone a lot more fun. A few features - like attaching photos to your posts or browsing the map for messages - are still missing, though chances are that the developers will add these in one of the next revisions.

BBC to offer iPhone apps for news and sport

The BBC has announced it will offer iPhone applications for its news and sport content from April.
The free apps will be followed by versions for BlackBerry and phones running Google's Android software.
The BBC said they had been developed because more people use "sophisticated handheld devices" to view content.
Several other news organisations offer iPhone apps, including Sky and the Daily Telegraph - which are free - and the Guardian - which costs £2.39.
Analysts at research firm CCS Insight said the apps would "increase tension between publishers of paid-for content and those reliant on other revenue".
The news industry is currently struggling to find a business model for the digital world.
"Whilst the BBC's impulse to enter an already crowded news and sport apps market place is understandable, the move belies the fundamentally competitive nature of the Corporation's approach to new services," Emily Bell, director of digital content at the Guardian, told BBC News. "Applications are a long way away from being 'broadcast' media, and, unlike the web, they form a market which the BBC is seeking to disrupt."
In addition, she said, the "considerable cost" of developing apps for all platforms meant the BBC was in "territory most publishers could not afford to inhabit".
But Erik Huggers, BBC director of future media and technology, said the BBC audience "want to access the digital services that they have paid for at a time and place that suits them".
"Today's announcement means that we are catching up with our audiences," he told the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona.
'Open platforms'
The news app, to be released in April, will offer content from the BBC News website, including written stories, correspondent blogs as well as audio and video.
Users will also be able to send comments and pictures directly to the newsroom.
The BBC said the sports app will be released in time for the World Cup, which starts in June, and will initially focus on football.

It will combine content from the BBC Sport website and 5 Live radio, including live commentary and scores, and will allow fans to watch sports matches live on their phone.
The apps will be updated later in the year to include more content, including Formula 1.
A different version of the apps will be offered to international audiences, supported by advertising.
The BBC said it was also considering releasing apps later this year for its popular iPlayer service. The on-demand video and audio player serves up 20 million requests for TV and radio programmes every week.
The BBC has said that it will initially focus on building applications for the iPhone but follow with applications for Google's Android operating system and RIM (BlackBerry).
It said it would also "work with other providers to enable these applications on their mobile devices".
However, the organisation did not mention specific plans for an app for Symbian, the world's most popular smart phone operating system.
According to figures from analysts CCS Insight, Symbian software is used on 47% of all smartphones.
BlackBerry accounts for 21% of the market, compared with Apple's 15%, Microsoft's 9% and Android's 5%.
The BBC does however already offer a BBC iPlayer app for certain Symbian phones.
Jim Killock, of the Open Rights Group, said that the BBC should concentrate on developing "open platforms" rather than building apps for closed systems such as the iPhone.
"That way everyone can access the content regardless of what device they are using," he told BBC News.
Several unofficial apps already exist on Android handsets and the iPhone.

Searching for new apps? Chomp for Apple's iPhone helps you find them - and a whole lot more

Let's face it: Of the more than 100,000 iPhone apps out there to choose from, only a small percentage will be right for you. The process of tracking down the ones you want is part of the fun, but if you find yourself adrift as you surf the App Store and need some extra guidance, well, there's now an app for that.
GRAB IT: Chomp (free), which debuted Monday, is to iPhone apps what the Genius button is to your music library, using information about your likes and dislikes to make recommendations - and it even tosses social networking into the mix.
Once you've created a Chomp account, it asks you to start reviewing your favorite (and least favorite) apps. The process is a breeze: Simply click a heart icon for "like" and a broken heart icon for "dislike." There's also an option to add a short review, of 60 characters or fewer, if you feel a need to opine further.
We started off with a quick review of two or three of our favorite iPhone games, and immediately the app pointed out a few others we might enjoy. (Warning: Be prepared to spend some money on new software!) Chomp even suggested a few we already know and love but hadn't reviewed yet - so we know it works.
That ability alone - not to mention its sleek, easy-to-use interface - makes Chomp a winner. What's more, the app has a Twitter-inspired twist that really gives it an edge, allowing you to browse a live stream of reviews from other users and interact with them. Not only can you follow your fellow Chompers and browse their reviews, but there's even a section where you can track the reviews of "App Celebrities" including Digg founder Kevin Rose and video blogger Justine Ezarik, making it easier than ever to keep up with the geeks. [iTunes link]
SKIP IT: iDrag­Paper Free: Prefer to get your app recommendations from the iTunes best-seller list? You might want to rethink that. As we write this, iDragPaper Free - a game that tests your ability to quickly unfurl a roll of toilet paper - is Apple's top-ranked free app. For 99 cents, the paid version adds online leaderboards.

Reminder – Download Our Free Geeky Gadgets iPhone App

It is a week since we launched our free Geeky Gadgets iPhone App, and it has been a great success so far with over 1,000 downloads, so this is just a quick reminder to the rest of our readers who haven’t tried it out yet.Our free iPhone App delivers the latest gadgets and technology news direct to your iPhone, now you will be able to keep up with the latest offerings from Geeky Gadgets wherever you are.One feature I forgot to mention in the last post is that you can cache all our stories on the Geeky Gadgets iPhone App, so you can still read them when you are offline.The Geeky Gadgets iPhone App is free and can be downloaded from the Apple App Store at the following link.

Download – Geeky Gadgets iPhone App – Free

If you download the App, and get a chance to rate it on iTunes this would be really helpful to us and our developers as we can see how to make the Geeky Gadgets iPhone App better in the next version.Read More....