Neven Mrgan, a developer at Panic, as well as the co-creator of the popular Birdfeed Twitter client, has just released a fascinating new iPhone game. It's called Pie Guy, and the gameplay is reminiscent of classic Pac Mac games.

You won't find Pie Guy in the App Store, though, because it's a web app. You can even add it to your home screen and play it offline. The game is fairly fun, but the more exciting part is what it suggests about the future of web apps on the iPhone.

All those problems with the App Store approval process don't apply to web apps, so it's worth seeing how far developers can push web apps. They're not an alternative to every iPhone app, as John Gruber points out at Daring Fireball, because web apps don't have access to a lot of the iPhone's hardware functions (accelerometer, camera, etc.).

On top of that, the Cocoa Touch framework makes native apps not only faster than web apps, but easier to write. Despite all that, Pie Guy makes a good case for expanding our ideas of what a web app can be.

There has been a lot of attention given to some recent iPhone hacks that potentially affect users of jailbroken iPhones, especially now that a malicious attack has been discovered. If you've jailbroken your phone, and you are worried about whether you are potentially vulnerable, here's a simple answer:

If you have not installed OpenSSH (or any other SSH package), you are not vulnerable to the current attacks.

To check this, go into the Cydia installer app on your jailbroken iPhone, tap the Manage button, tap the Packages button, and scroll alphabetically through the list of installed packages looking for OpenSSH. If it's not there, you're good, you can relax. If you're using an alternative installer like Rock the steps will be much the same.

If OpenSSH is there, you can follow this guide from our friends over at TUAW to change your iPhone's root and mobile passwords.

Behance is one of my favorite sources of creative inspiration and productivity tips. Their Action Method is a neat way to keep track of your to-do items. I'm pretty sure most of their profits come from selling paper products, but there's also a web version of Action Method, and a new Action Method iPhone app that plugs into it.

You don't really have to subscribe to the methodology to use the iPhone app. In fact, even though it syncs to the web, you can use it without an account. They work really well as basic, intuitive to-do lists. You can set due-dates and reminders, create new projects and assign tasks to them, and label things in three different colors.

You can also delegate tasks to people in your iPhone's address book. Both the web app and the iPhone app are free, with the option to upgrade to a paid premium account.

Travel management site TripIt have launched their mobile companion application for Android, available for download free of charge from the Android Market.

The new application, which is usable with both Standard and Pro TripIt accounts, allows you to access your travel itinerary direct from your Android phone, get maps and directions, make calls to airlines, hotels etc. as well as enabling flight alerts and alternate flight details for Pro users.

As well as launching on Android, TripIt have released an update to their iPhone application, available for download now from the App Store. The iPhone version adds support for Pro account features, as well as a number of useful travel tools including terminal maps, seating advice and live flight status.

If you have a Blackberry and you're feeling left out, fear not! The TripIt Blackberry application is currently in Beta, with release expected before the end of the year. Now how about good old Windows Mobile and that young upstart WebOS...?

This week Cisco released a new iPhone app called Cisco SIO To Go [iTunes link]. The application is primarily focused on delivering security and threat information via a number of freely available online feeds including Cyber Risk Report, Cisco Threat Outbreaks, Cisco Security Blog, and even some of Cisco's Twitter feeds. This information is available on the app's Security Alerts page.

All of this could be done in your favorite feed reader, so it's a little disappointing that this is the focus of Cisco SIO To Go. The application also features a Lookup page, which allows you to look up a domain name to look up its Email or Web Reputation score. This screen has some interesting-looking red, yellow, and green flashing lights with interesting labels like "Virus outbreak in progress", but unfortunately they don't seem to actually mean or do anything. Maybe they relate to the domain lookup, but if they do it certainly isn't clear how. None of the domains I searched seemed to be color-coded in any way.

While it's hard to complain about a free app, at the same time Cisco is in a unique position to offer some unique functionality like maybe push notifications when virus outbreaks or serious security vulnerabilities are discovered. There's nothing inherently wrong with Cisco SIO To Go, but there's also not much right with it. Cisco could do better if they wanted to.

[via InSecurity Complex]

On 12/28 I am eligible to switch phones and am rationalizing an iPhone purchase, which is all the more difficult as I just read David Ramsey's Total Money Makeover. The book advocates saving money and paring down expenses, so the $30 monthly data plan would definitely be in the con column. However, after reading 33 things you don't need if you buy an iPhone, I'm thinking I'll definitely come out ahead in the long run. Below are some of my favorite excuses reasons to purchase.

GPS- rather than purchasing a stand alone unit, like Tom Tom, there's several apps in the App Store that will help with turn by turn navigation.

Camera - since my husband borrowed and never returned my Canon PowerShot, I definitely "need" a good camera. And while the iPhone's camera is not like my SD850IS, it's a decent enough point and shoot. Plus, I'll be "saving" money and don't even get me started on the convenience of not having to carry multiple devices.

Adobe's Acrobat.com service is getting a big update tonight, followed closely by a new mobile app for iPhone and BlackBerry. The name "Acrobat" goes hand-in-hand with the PDF file format, and Acrobat.com allows you to convert documents to PDF and save, store and view PDF files. It also features some other applications, including the Adobe BuzzWord word processor, a web meeting service called ConnectNow, and storage space for docs, spreadsheets and images.

The new features include searching by filename (I'm still wrapping my head around how they didn't have this before), but not searching within documents. That feature is reportedly coming soon. Your files are also now displayed in a file organizer that lists everything you have stored on Adobe's webspace - I think this includes saved stuff from other web apps, including presentations.

The mobile app is reportedly going to be a pretty basic mobile front-end for Acrobat.com, with the ability to upload documents and send faxes (what's a "fax?") from your phone. It will come in both free and paid flavors, and the free version will allow a limited number of uploads and faxes per month.

[via CNET]

Trillian, the excellent all-purpose chat app we've loved for years on the PC, just made the leap to the iPhone.

There are a lot of things to love about this pocket-sized version of Trillian, including its great-looking interface and its support for several different chat services. You'll need to sign up for a free Astra account if you don't already have one, but it's nice that Trilian's existing desktop users can just plug and play with no account setup required.

Little perks of Trillian on the iPhone include push notifications (yay!) and the ability to send photos. Managing contacts is also pretty easy. In fact, Trillian's the first iPhone chat app I've seen that has a straightforward way of moving contacts between groups.

I do have a couple of minor bones to pick with Trillian, though. First, no landscape keyboard? Seriously? IM is a typing-intensive activity, and the iPhone's small portrait keyboard doesn't cut it for fast and furious chats.

Second: it takes two clicks to close your current chat (the "more" button and then "end conversation"). Can't we just get a close button? These are minor issues with what's otherwise a great app, and a decent value at $4.99, especially if you use more than one chat service at a time.

[via CNET]

If you've been a Download Squad reader for a while, you've probably heard about the 3-D molecular puzzle game, Minim. I reviewed it back in May, and Jason reviewed it again in July (oops!). However, I've got my hands on the iPhone version now, and it's worlds better than the Flash one we played before.

The object of Minim is to match up various numbered molecules until you clear the board. When you combine two of the same number, they form a single molecule that's one number greater. Eventually, you'll wind up with just one left, and you've won the level. The thing is, Minim is a lot more fun when you can use the iPhone's gestures to rotate the game board to see what you're working with. Using the mouse in the web version was fine, but the sense of manipulating the puzzle with your fingers adds an extra element of awesome. Check out the trailer after the jump to see how it works.

Minim isn't fast-paced (although you do get time bonuses for quickly solving puzzles), so it's ideal for mobile play on the bus, in the subway, or at your desk. It's cool, we won't tell your boss. The game comes with 50 basic levels, and there appear to be another 40 mystery levels, if you make it that far. For 2 bucks, you're getting your money's worth if you're a puzzle fan.

When Google brought its amazing global map application, Google Earth, to the iPhone, it was a match made in heaven. (Okay, it was match made on Earth, but bear with with me, here.) The pinching and rotating gestures on the iPhone made exploring the globe on a handheld device fun and easy. Well, now Google Earth is back with version 2.0, which introduces some of the useful features you've come to expect from Earth's sister project, Google Maps. You can grab it from the app store now.

Although it's nothing earth-shattering (ha!), Google Earth can now access your saved maps - and other people's public maps - by logging into your Google account and using the My Maps interface. Bringing Maps and Earth even closer together, Google has also made it easier to search businesses, photos and places in Earth, just like you can in Maps. Also, in a move that seems fitting for an app that maps the entire world, Earth 2.0 supports 31 languages, up from the original 18.

Bump, the impressive iPhone app that lets you trade contact info and other data by physically bumping two phones together, isn't just an iPhone app anymore. Bump for Android has arrived (so sayeth TechCrunch, at any rate), and it covers Bump's biggest weakness: you had to have an iPhone to use it. Between iPhones and Android devices, Bump now has the potential to become a common way of swapping contact info.

In addition to the Android launch, Bump also polished up its iPhone app. The new version, which is in the app store now, taps into Facebook to compare address books with your bumping buddies and see whether you have any contacts in common. You can also send either a message or a newsfeed post to yourself via Facebook when you bump someone new, so you can remember to get in touch with them later. These features haven't made their way to the Android edition of Bump yet.

[via TechCrunch]

What started out as a mostly harmless annoyance coded by a young Australian lad to mess with his friends has turned ugly [Insert your own Rick Astley joke here].

Intego reports that the exploit used by the ikee worm - which only swapped out users' iPhone wallpaper for a mugshot of the ginger king of the 80s - is being used to steal personal data from affected devices.

The worms are only a concern for those running jailbroken iPhone and iPod touches, of course. Still, even at Intego's estimate of 6-8% of those devices being jailbroken that puts the number at risk at well over 2 million.

It's simple enough to protect yourself - all you have to do is change your root password to something other than the default 'alpine.' Our friends at TUAW posted the following instructions:

Type: ssh root@(iPhone IP address)
When prompted for the password type: alpine
Now you're connected the phone...
type: passwd
It should then prompt your for a new password -- type one that you'll remember. There's no easy way to reset it if you forget it.

Turning off SSH is an option, too, but you should still change the password as well.

Twitter fanatics were disappointed when the hotly-anticipated update to Tweetdeck's iPhone app was pulled from the app store due to bugs, but it's available again today. The upgrade is a big one, including some of the most important features of the Tweetdeck desktop version. The biggest deal might be Facebook integration, a feature that keeps Tweetdeck competitive with its main desktop rival, Seesmic (which has Facebook support, but has yet to launch an iPhone app).

In addition, Tweetdeck for iPhone now has video uploading via 12Seconds.tv, taking advantage of the video capabilities of the iPhone 3GS. It also uses the device's GPS for a "nearby" feature that lets you read tweets from folks in your vicinity. Although I take every opportunity to bash Twitter's trending topics, fans of that aspect of the service will now find it in Tweetdeck. One feature I won't bash, though, is the address picker, which lets you choose a contact from list so your @replies are without typos.

Combine all those features with details like a landscape keyboard mode and the ability to save drafts, and you've got a pretty solid version 1.1. If you've been using and enjoying Tweetdeck, this update should be some sweet icing on the cake.

For the last few weeks I've been looking for a suitable RSS reader application for my iPhone. I've found myself frustrated with long-time favourite NetNewsWire (which currently lacks any of the Google Reader sharing options) and the Google Reader web UI. Much like every Twitter client out there, I've bought my fair share of RSS readers for the iPhone and after much testing I have finally found a new favourite: Reeder.

Reeder [iTunes Link] has all the relevant sharing options I've craved in one place - and best of all is stylish as hell. There's plenty of applications with custom user interfaces on the iPhone - some more successful than others - but Reeder balances the familiar with custom elements, and as a result the interface looks great when browsing (and reading) content.

If I had any complaints about Reeder, it's that the application lacks the ability to view your friends' shared items within the application, but given the sheer style and speed of the application it's a small oversight. If you're looking to pick up a copy of Reeder, the developer has dropped the price to $0.99 until version 1.1 ships - and available now on the App Store.

If the possibility of having your jailbroken iPod Touch or iPhone held ransom for 5 Euros wasn't enough of a scare to make you change your root password, maybe this will. Users on an Australian forum site are reporting a new attack - one that's no stranger to love.

You guessed it, the newest attack on jailbroken devices is a wallpaper Rickroll. Along with Rick Astley's devilishly handsome headshot, the image also includes the message "ikee is never gonna give you up."

It's actually a pretty tame attack. There are no reports in the forum of sounds being replaced with that all-to-familiar opening verse or repeated, mind-numbing video assaults.

At least one variation has also popped up. In addition to Astley, one user commented that his image had been changed to a New England Patriots logo.

The moral of the story?

If you jailbreak your iPhone or iPod Touch, make sure you change the root password to something other than alpine so you can avoid the shenanigans.