As the trending topics on twitter and the posts on Facebook would indicate, you’ve already downloaded Facebook’s new iPhone app. If you haven’t, get a grip and do so immediately. And while you’re at it, download Yelp as well. These two apps are shining examples of why Apple will dominate the smartphone market for years to come.
Facebook’s new app demonstrates just how robust Apple’s SDK for the iPhone really is. Believe it or not, the app is faster and even more enjoyable to use than Facebook’s web site, which says a lot given how good Facebook’s browser experience is. The new app almost seems like an extension of the iPhone’s operating system. You can even move around icons on the Facebook app home page (pictured above) just like you would on the iPhone. Also new: You can place calls and send SMS messages through links on your your friends list. Putting the iPhone’s Facebook app up against the Android, Blackberry and webOS Facebook solutions is a perfect example of the lead Apple has over its competitors.*
That’s not the only good news for the iPhone in the past 24 hours. Yelp, which allows people to rate restaurants, bars, & more, has hidden an easter egg in the app that brings augmented reality to iPhone. Don’t know what augmented reality is? Watch the video (Big up to Mashable) and be ready to gasp in awe:
For my Montreal readers, Yelp’s augmented reality works perfectly here. I had the chance to show it off in the city today and it did not fail to impress.
So as the software that runs/runs on the iPhone continues to shine, hardware improvements like GPS and the digital compass are making it even more of a hot commodity. Make no mistake, if Apple hadn’t entered the smartphone market in 2007, progress like what we’re seeing would still be years away. Judging by how RIM, Palm and Microsoft handled the mobile web, maybe even decades.
*Windows Mobile sucks so hard it can’t be taken seriously right now.
Elias Makos 