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How to Get 40% Off a Casetagram Custom iPhone Case That Features Your Instagram Photos

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Casetagram for iPhone

Gilt City‘s got an offer this week for 40 percent off Casetagram iPhone cases, custom iPhone cases that feature your Facebook or Instagram images.

At $21 for an iPhone 4/4S case or $35 for an iPhone 5 Casetagram case, this really ain’t a bad deal considering they are custom covers.

“With seven design templates to choose from and three case colors, Casetagram keeps it simple and streamlined. Their tech-savvy designers are “obsessed with quality and getting the details right,” so the process is seamless, from the design work done online at their site to the printing and shipping.”

The deal expires on Monday, December 3.

Grab it here »

7 Features iPhone Could Have Had if iOS 5 Got Facebook Integration

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iPhone Facebook Integration

Apple recently boasted about Twitter integration on the upcoming iOS 5, but what if we had gotten Facebook integration instead?

iPhone already lets you link your friends’ profile pictures to their contact information in your phone, but Facebook features are otherwise restricted to the Facebook app itself.

Below are 7 Facebook features that we could have had if Apple had gone through with Facebook, instead of Twitter, integration on iOS 5:

  1. Add a friend on Facebook through your Contacts.
  2. Post a photo to your Wall or to a friend’s Wall directly from the Photos app.
  3. Get updates in your status bar about incoming Facebook messages, comments, and other Facebook Notifications.
  4. Post to Facebook systemwide.
  5. Check into Facebook Places in the Maps app.
  6. Facebook Chat integration in Phone or Messages.
  7. Link Facebook Events into your iPhone Calendar.

No one knows for sure why Apple chose to integrate Twitter and not Facebook as a core part of the iOS platform, but one thing is certain: Facebook integration would be a much-valued feature for many users, and potential users, of the iPhone.

I use Twitter and will appreciate Twitter integration on iOS 5, but Facebook integration would have been even better, in my opinion.

What Facebook features would you like to see integrated into the iPhone?

Facebook App Developer Quits, Denounces App Store Approval Process

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Former Facebook iPhone app developer, Joe Hewitt

Just yesterday I wrote a post recommending 4 ways for Apple to fix the App Store approval process. I warned that Apple’s tight control of the App Store would drive developers away.

Well, guess what happened today: Facebook for iPhone developer Joe Hewitt has quit the job in a decision he says “has had everything to do with Apple’s policies.”

The web is still unrestricted and free, and so I am returning to my roots as a web developer. In the long term, I would like to be able to say that I helped to make the web the best mobile platform available, rather than being part of the transition to a world where every developer must go through a middleman to get their software in the hands of users.

Several questions come to mind:

  • Why does Facebook have only one iPhone app developer?
  • Do the Facebook app’s numerous flaws have something to do with the long and tedious App Store approval process?
  • Who will replace Hewitt as the Facebook for iPhone developer? Will Facebook for iPhone get better or worse?
  • Will more developers ditch the iPhone? Will they flock to a more open mobile platform (i.e. Android)?

I hope two things happen as a result of this news:

  1. Apple fixes its App Store approval process. Read my 4 suggestions on how Apple should do that.
  2. Facebook appoints a team to work on its iPhone app, rather than a single individual.

I applaud Hewitt for taking a stand against Apple’s “Big Brother” approach to the App Store. I agree with Hewitt that the web is fundamentally free, and the mobile web should be as well.

Update: Facebook VP of Communications says that Facebook does not (officially) agree with Hewitt, and that a new team of developers will “take over iPhone related development.” Read the story on TechCrunch.

What Do You Think?

Was Hewitt right to quit his job as Facebook’s iPhone app developer? Will Apple finally fix (or remove) its App Store approval process? Let me know what you think in the comments.

5 Reasons Facebook for iPhone is F**ked Up!

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Facebook for iPhone

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Want Facebook fixed? Post this on your Wall!
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Dear Facebook,

Pardon my passion, but it must be said: the Facebook iPhone app is f**ked up! I hoped it wouldn’t come to cursing, but you just won’t listen, and I need your attention.

Facebook is the most downloaded app in the App Store, yet still your company manages to ignore some critical issues with the app.

Words can’t explain my frustration with the Facebook iPhone app these days, so I’ll shut up and let these 5 screenshots do the talking:

(All screenshots accompanied by the relevant bug report on Facebook.)

  1. Discussion Topic: I can no longer post pics on friends wall

    Facebook for iPhone image upload problem

  2. Help Center Topic: iPhone: Your video could not be uploaded at this time. Except this time is 100% of the time.

    Facebook for iPhone video upload problem

  3. Discussion Topic: Time Zone data incorrect even in 3.0.1

    Facebook for iPhone events problem

  4. Discussion Topic: bug: posted “links” to photo albums show no pics

    Facebook for iPhone photo album problem

  5. Discussion Topic: “Your message could not be delivered at this time”

    Facebook for iPhone messaging problem

Notice that no one from Facebook has replied to any of the discussion topics above? Some of these Facebook iPhone app issues occur less frequently than others, but all are common enough to be an annoyance, and an impediment to my work.

Facebook is not just a venue for vain status updates. I use Facebook as a tool for organizing people and a vehicle for marketing my work, and a mobile Facebook offers enormous potential for keeping in touch with customers/users/constituents on the go. But these problems with Facebook for iPhone prevent me from doing my job well, and they need to be fixed if I am going to continue to take your social network seriously.

Why is it that some independent developers — like those who develop iFitness, for example — are able to keep up with customer feedback and make improvements, yet this social networking giant will let even obvious issues go unattended?

These issues are demonstrative of a larger customer service problem at Facebook. I am sure the talented Facebook developers could resolve some of these things in a day with a simple update. Yet as of right now we don’t even know if Facebook is aware of the issues. Am I going to have to wait a year for another major update to the Facebook app before I can use it to its full potential?

PLEASE, go take a look at the Facebook for iPhone fan page. Look at the Wall: “No recent posts.” Look at the Discussion Board: many complaints, few responses. Look at the Notes: the latest is three months old, “What’s New in Facebook for iPhone 3.0.”

The Facebook for iPhone fan page lists a whopping “17,312,515 monthly active users,” and still no one at Facebook is taking the time to update or reassure us that you’re working on the issues.

Look, I applaud the Facebook for iPhone developers for the great work they’ve done so far, but seriously Facebook, you have to dedicate more resources to your iPhone platform.

Facebook, your iPhone app is f**ked up! Now please fix it.

(Quite) Sincerely,
Chris

Want these issues resolved ASAP? Spread the word about this story!

How to Upload Your iPhone 3GS Videos to Facebook Using VideoUp

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VideoUp for Facebook

Because Facebook is slacking on its iPhone app, you can’t yet upload your iPhone 3GS videos using the official Facebook app. However, there is a new app in the App Store called VideoUp for Facebook that lets you upload your iPhone videos to Facebook.

How to Post Your iPhone 3GS Videos to Facebook

You can have your video uploaded in 4 easy steps:

  1. Buy “VideoUp for Facebook” from the App Store ($.99 as of this writing).

    VideoUp for Facebook

  2. Open VideoUp and touch “Connect with Facebook” to login to the site.

    VideoUp for Facebook

  3. Touch “Select Video” and choose “Saved Video” to upload a video you’ve already recorded or “New Video” to record a new one. Wait for VideoUp to trim your video. The step “2” circle will turn green to confirm that your video has been successfully trimmed.

    VideoUp for Facebook

  4. Touch “Describe and Send,” write a Title and/or Description for your video and touch “Send.”

    VideoUp for Facebook

VideoUp uploads over a WiFi or 3G connection, unlike some other iPhone video sharing apps that only work with WiFi.

You’ll have to keep the VideoUp for Facebook app open while your video uploads or the upload will fail. This is not a VideoUp problem, but an iPhone one, since iPhone does not let you run multiple applications at once.

Once your video is uploaded, VideoUp does not show a confirmation — e.g. “Your video has been uploaded.” — so log into Facebook to check whether the new video is displayed in your feed.

A Glitch?

I’ve noticed that if you let your iPhone go into sleep mode while your video is sending, VideoUp will sometimes fail to upload the video. If you notice this happening to you, here’s what I suggest: go to Settings >> General >> Auto-Lock and touch the “Never” option. This way your iPhone won’t go to sleep while you upload your video. To save battery, remember to turn Auto-Lock back on after you’re done uploading a video.

How Do You Share Your Videos on Facebook?

Do you use VideoUp? Let us know in the comments how you post your iPhone videos to Facebook.