Many people are waking up today hungover, tired or maybe bloated from holiday excesses.  Perhaps after their heads clear a bit, they’ll remember today is January 1st, the day to start keeping their New Year’s resolutions.   Two-thirds of the population don’t bother even making resolutions, but for those who do, the most popular choice for self-improvement is weight loss or getting fit, and fitness app devs are eager to push their wares.

The makers of RunKeeperPro are now offering their app, regularly $9.99 and never discounted, for free through January.  I first reported on this app back in November, with a follow-up after my real life experience.  It tracks your time, distance, splits and pace while sending updates to your friends via Facebook.  It also allows for customized workouts and iPod integration.  It works with the iPad, iPod Touch or iPhone running iOS 3.0 or later.  However, the mapping and update functions would only work with the iPhone unless you somehow manage to run within a wifi hotspot.

Running like crazy doesn’t help if you’re consuming too many calories.  For dieting and weight loss, check out the Calorie Counter & Diet Tracker app.  It has a large database of foods and allows for tracking of nutrients, weight and body measurement as well as calories.  It works offline and there is no account sign-up necessary.  It is $3.99 and compatible with the iPhone, iPod Touch or iPad running iOS 3.1.3 or later.

My resolution is to stop checking my email, Facebook, Twitter or various websites on my iPhone every 3 minutes. I don’t think there’s an app for that.

Check after the jump for screenshots. (more…)

2010 has been a crazy year in the world of Apple. Every day a new rumor pops up or a new app is released, and every day, we are here to give you the low-down. We now have a constantly updating Front Page, a fantastic Review Team and a shiny new identity to tie it all together.

2011 will undoubtedly be even more exciting, and we hope to be your community of choice for all your iNeeds.

Have fun, and be safe.

Here’s to a wonderful 2011! (And a white Verizon iPhone.)

Once again, the iPhone proves to be completely unable to tell time with any major change in relativity. Come New Years, one-off alarms will fail to work—though recurring alarms will still wake you up bright and early as usual. At the moment, the only fix is to change one-off alarms to the recurring variety, or just sleep in (the latter being the ideal solution).

Apple should have a fix by the next iOS firmware update, but that could be a few months away.

[Engadget]

Alibaba, an international trade business that has been known to carry cases for products that do not yet exist, has been asked by a “legitimate” source to cease selling the supposed cases for the iPad 2.

It’s unclear what the specific objection was to the listings on Alibaba, and who the overzealous merchants that posted them are. The companies listed southern China phone numbers in their Alibaba.com profiles, suggesting they’re based there. A man who answered the phone at one of the companies, called Fullchance Industrial Co., claimed that it works with Hon Hai Precision Industry and said Fullchance possesses firsthand material regarding the features of a new iPad, making the design of their case “extremely accurate.”

It’s unknown who asked Alibaba to remove the listings, but considering that the site complied, it is very possible that it was either Apple or an iPad hardware manufacturer—which indicates that the case designs are accurate.

The cases in question have openings for a rear camera and possibly a wide-range speaker.

[WSJ]

Revelers across the globe will countdown the new year tonight, with concerts, fireworks and champagne. If you’re planning a celebration, attending one, or at home with family or friends, some apps will help with counting down the event.

The Times Square Official New Year’s App – 2011 streams the live event including musical guests and exclusive content.  Upload a pic and it could be chosen to be shown on the actual Times Square Toshiba big screen.  Read history, news and the live show schedule.  Customize the clock and check-in with Facebook, Twitter, or Foursquare.  Watch the ball drop without having to watch the endless stream of commercials on network TV.  The app is free and works with iPod Touches, iPhones or iPads running iOS 3.0 or later.

The New Year Noise Maker plays three different ear-piercing sounds including the traditional blow horn, a second horn, a twirler sound or a combination of the three.  Each also has three variations for a total of nine sounds.  The ensemble sound will play for thirty seconds, but to be truly annoying you can set it to loop.  The app also plays “Auld Lang Syne.”  The app is $.99.  It is compatible with  iPod Touches, iPhones or iPads running iOS 4.1 or later.

For an easy search of online info and activities, check out Google.  Their doodle for the day has the Roman numerals for 2011 enmeshed in their standard icon.  When you click on it, the engine performs a search for New Year’s Eve.  Oddly enough, the Snooki ball drop wasn’t on the front page.

Check out screenshots after the break.

(more…)

Arguably one of the best, if not the best, iOS poker game has gone free today as part of Openfeint’s regular ‘Free Game Of The Day‘ promotion.  Glu Mobile’s World Series Of Poker has in-app purchasing for additional chips but don’t let that deter you as the App is strong enough that even the average poker player shouldn’t need to resort to the fast track to the big bucks. I haven’t done and I’m on $22mn.

A New Year’s treat indeed.  Enjoy.

Grab it here.

14 major smartphone vendors—including Apple—have backed the European Commission’s plans for a common micro-USB charger, finally bringing an end to the mess of proprietary ports. Companies are expected to make the switch beginning in early 2011, and the European Commission hopes to make the specification standard worldwide.

The EU said many Europeans wanted to be able to use chargers for different smartphones and resented the inconvenience incompatible chargers caused.

Also, it said in a statement, eliminating the need to get a new charger when a phone was replaced had environmental benefits as it reduced the need to dispose of an old, but probably fully functional, charger.

The specifications only cover chargers for smartphones because, said the Commission, these are likely to be the most widely used type of phone in Europe within the next two years.

There have been rumors that the iPad 2 has a USB port, and while it’s not a smartphone, it may be the first of Apple’s mobile products to make the switch. Apple is unlikely to have a separate iPhone model for European users, so there is a good chance the next iPhone (regardless of country) will feature a micro-USB port as well.

Due to the many 3rd party accessories that depend on Apple’s current dock connector, the transition to USB-only may take a few years—if ever, but this agreement is a solid start.

[BBC]

After Facebook introduced the new profile layout, swarms of creative users began to mold it to their advantage, starting with this design by artist Alexandre Oudin. Recreating it for your own profile can be tricky since it has to be pixel perfect, but now, there is an “App for That”.

The unimaginatively named Custom Facebook Profile app automagically crops and uploads a photo of your choice to Facebook, creating an instant mosaic profile. It’s free, so if you don’t have Photoshop or an aptitude for manipulating pixels, give it a try.

Use any image to customize your Facebook profile.

Easy to use, one step customization.

Automatically crops image and uploads photos to Facebook.

NOTE: This app requires several extended Facebook permissions to function properly. We do not access any of your data and use these permissions for the sole purpose of uploading images to your Facebook account.

[iTunes]