Google+ hasn’t quite caught on with people as much as something like Twitter or Facebook, at least not yet. However, that hasn’t stopped Google from trying make it the best social networking experience possible.

Going a long way towards that goal is the update to its Google+ app or iOS users, which the company rolled out late yesterday. With the new update, users will see a completely redone user experience and Google’s goal is to basically simplify and beautify Google+. They released a statement on this new philosophy:

To be clear, we’re not interested in a mobile or social experience that’s just smaller. We’re embracing the sensor-rich smartphone (with its touchable screen and high-density display), and transforming Google+ into something more intimate, and more expressive.

Sounds good. And if you check out the app, you can see they’ve done pretty much what they set out to do. The new version of the app is extremely well done and, dare we say it, quite beautiful.

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As geeks and nerds ourselves, we know it’s sometimes tough to get a girl to notice you, let alone pay enough attention to you to get a date or, dare we say it, a relationship. These days with the popularity of the online world and sites like Facebook, Twitter, Google+ or Pinterst, it’s often more difficult to meet people in real life, connect with them and try to take things to the next level.

Fortunately, there’s an upside to the isolation of the online world and if you’re too busy, too shy or too lazy to leave Mom’s basement long enough to meet people IRL, there’s a way for you to simulate having most of the benefits of a girlfriend — and all it will cost you is $5.

That’s right fellow nerds, we introduce you to the website GirlFriendHire. It’s a place where you can go, pick from one of the many attractive (and less so ) girls listed there and pay them to be your girlfriend on Facebook or perform other tasks for you.

What do you get for your hard earned scratch? Well, your new gal can post sexy messages on your Facebook wall, send you sexy text messages or even send pictures of herself to your phone to make all your fellow nerds jealous. The girls will also perform other mundane tasks like help with homework or teach you how to use your iPhone.

No, they won’t actually meet you in real life or perform any “personal” services, but hey, who cares? At least you’ll look like a stud where it counts: on Facebook, in the Skyrim forums or wherever else geeks and nerds congregate en masse online these days.

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With the exploding popularity of smartphones like Apple’s iPhone, there was also a corresponding rise in the number of people taking photos with those devices. One of the most popular photo apps ever to hit the iPhone is Instagram.

Since its release, Instragram has been exclusive to the iPhone. However, as we previously told you, that exclusivity is now at an end because, as of today, the app has been released for Android.

In case you haven’t used Instagram (you really should, btw), the app allows users to capture photos and edit them using a number of filters that give images a cool “retro” look. Users can also use selective focus tools to enhance and customize photos further.

Said pictures can then be shared with other Instagram users and also on Twitter, Facebook or via email. Filters can be applied to images imported from a device’s camera roll as well.

The new Android version of Instagram supports devices running Android 2.2 or later. It is available immediately for free in the Google Play store.

With Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 , hitting this week the anticipation is almost palpabile. People across the internet are clamoring for just about any information available to the game. We know we at The Flickcast are anxiously looking forward to tonight at midnight to get our hands on it. But, until then, we are going to share this behind the scenes video from our friends at Activision that explains both the Facebook and Elite integration in to the game.

Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 will tie directly in to player’s Facebook friends list. This is the first triple A title to allow for this level of social networking communication that will allow players to look directly at their friends list from the game browser and hop in to games using their Facebook friends. This is going to be a great resource as not a lot of people post their gamer tag to Facebook but almost certainly everyone on Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 multiplayer is going to link their game to their Facebook so they can partied up that much easier with all their friends.

We also get to take a look further into the three pillars of Elite with Connect, Compete and Improve. One of the most drastic improvements looks to be the 100 person clan structure which has been added to the game. Clans can take on Clan Operations and level up the entire clan as a whole. Competition looks to heat up as well with the inclusion of both real and digital prizes in Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3.

Keep your eyes peeled for any last minute news before Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3′s midnight release tonight and check out the full behind the scenes video below.

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It’s another great day for those of you currently using Googles new Google+ service and also Apple’s iPad or iPod Touch. Why? Because it’s the day Google has finally released an update for the app for iOS and made it work with not only the iPhone but the iPad and iPod Touch too.

The new version of the app not only works with all iOS devices it also adds Huddle settings and aggregated circle add notifications, a nice couple of improvements. If you recall, Google first launched Google+ on Android and then a few weeks later for the iPhone. At that point, iPad and iPod Touch users were left wanting. No more.

If you haven’t had a chance to try Google+ yet, see if you can convince one of your friends already using it to send you an invite. Or, if you really want one, drop us a note in the comments and we’ll see what we can do.

If you’re already rocking Google+ and want to get the new, updated app, head on over to the iTunes Store. Oh, as a special bonus, we can also confirm that this version of the Google+ app now works with a certain Beta version of iOS that’s coming soon. But please, don’t tell Apple we said so.

For those of you still using Facebook who have not switched over to Google+ just yet there might be some great news for you just around the corner — especially if you also happen to use an iPad. That’s right, images of the yet-to-be-released Facebook app for the iPad have been leaked by TechCrunch and if they are really the app, they look pretty great.

Reportedly, the official application has been hidden inside the iPhone app all along. Waiting, dormant, to be officially released. TechCrunch‘s MG Siegler, who has already tested the application, says that it offers an “HTML5-rich experience” and that Facebook for iPad is a vast improvement over the mobile Web interface currently available.

That’s pretty good news, especialy considering using Facebook on the iPad now is rather lame. Using the iPhone app upsized for the iPad has been my go to for the most part as I really don’t like the experience using it via Safari. A dedicated app for Facebook on the iPad is the best way to go.

Facebook for iPad is expected to launch soon but an exact release date is still unknown. Click through for a few more images. Head over to TechCrunch for a lot more.

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It’s a great day for those of you currently using Googles new Google+ service and also Apple’s iPhone. Why? Because it’s the day Apple finally approved the Google+ app for the iPhone of course.

This has been a point of some contention among iPhone using Google+ testers and now it looks like Apple has heard their requests and let this one through. Of course, when the Google+ serrvice launched on June 28th there was an app for Android available immediately. Makes sense, right?

Now we’ve got the iOS version. Google+ for iOS is supported on the iPhone 3G, iPhone 3GS and iPhone 4 as long as the device is running iOS version 3.1 or later.

Ready to get it? Head on over to the iTunes Store and go nuts!

UPDATE: As of a few minutes ago the app has been updated in the iTunes App Store. So, if you’re not using version 1.0.1.1809 (you can tell by touching the gear at the top left of your screen in the app) then you should uninstall the old version and then download and install the new one. You’re welcome.

If you’re one of the people who like to make sure you’re friends know where you are and what you’re doing as much as possible, you’re probably already using Foursquare. If you’re also n iOS user, then today is your lucky day. Well, actually yesterday. Why?

Foursquare released a new version of its iOS client on Tuesday with a number of changes and enhancements. Among the changes are a new Check In button that will allow users to check into locations faster, a new Explore tab that will help users find local specials easier, and a faster check-in process.

Of course, being the early adopters we are around here, we installed the new app immediately. It definitely seemed improved and only took a few minutes to get used to the new layout and features. The user interface also feels noticeably quicker.

Also, in related news, Foursquare announced it has surpassed 10,000,000 users. That’s “M” as in Million. Nice work Foursquare team.

To get Foursquare 3.2, hit up the iTunes App Store.

As the E3 Expo gets closer expect a slew of new announcements to start coming out of the gaming sector. One of the first is Activision’s announcement this week of Call of Duty Elite, a new social network-style experience that will allow Call of Duty players to interact with each another in an entirely different way.

The new social network will have three parts: connect, compete, and improve. “Connect” will allow users to compete against friends, join groups, find players with similar interests and enter tournaments. Activision will provide both web and mobile interfaces for managing your Call of Duty information from multiple devices.

“Compete” will allow players to enter events and competitions with other players that have similar abilities. Activision promises real world and in-game prizes for this as well. “Improve” will provide users with a strategy guide to help them improve their gaming skills by following their performance and managing ongoing statistics.

“The average Call of Duty player spends 58 minutes per day playing multiplayer,” Activision Publishing CEO, Eric Hirshberg, said. “That is more than the average Facebook user spends per day on Facebook. And yet, right now, there are very few tools to unite and super charge that social community. Whether it’s allowing you to connect with your friends, or people of a similar skill level, people who live in your city, people who share your favorite passions, join competitive clans or social groups, or upload, view and comment on the incredible mass of player-generated content, or watch and comment on exclusive created content, Call of Duty Elite will give people more ways to connect with fellow players than ever before.”

According to Activision, most features of this upcoming service will be free. A premium package (details pending on that) will also be available. The service will enter public beta with Call of Duty: Black Ops this summer and will launch on November 8th with Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3.

Click through for the full press release and a video demo of the new service.

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Whatever your thought on the relative merits of Twitter and the power of the Internets, one thing is for certain, over at Twitter HQ, if the public says something sucks, they listen. At least in this case.

In case you haven’t been keeping up, here’s the background. A few weeks ago Twitter released an update to its popular App for iOS devices. Most of the time updates bring needed features and bug fixes and are met with a generally positive response from the users at large.

Not this time. Instead, the update featured one big new thing: QuickBar. According to Twitter, the QuickBar “was originally conceived to help users discover what’s happening in the broader world beyond people they already follow.”

It didn’t really do that. What it did do was ignite a storm of protest on Twitter and elsewhere decrying that the QuickBar, and its intrusive nature, had to go. Well folks, Twitter has listened and as of the latest update released late yesterday, the QuickBar is officially gone.

So, fire up iTunes or go to the App store on your iOS devices, get the latest update and be rid of the QuickBar forever — or at least until Twitter decides to put it back again.

The competition between location-based social networking applications just heated up even more with the announcement by Foursquare founder Dennis Crowley, via his blog, that an updated version of his company’s software is now available to iOS and Android users. As frequent users of this application, we couldn’t be happier here at The Flickcast offices.

Focusing on discovery, encouragement, and loyalty, Foursquare 3.0 rolls out several new features. For example, through the new “Explore” tab, users can input what it is they are looking for, getting recommendations from the app based on what’s around and where friends have visited.

In addition, the app features a revamped leader board which the company hopes will further encourage users to explore their world. According to Crowley: “You’ll see that we’ve replaced our old leader board (and its simple points system and Sunday night reset) with a sliding 7-day barometer of you and your friends.” “Check-ins now trigger points for dozens of different types of actions.”

Loyalty comes in the form of merchants additional ways to reward “swarms, groups of friends, regulars, newbies, or everyone.” Merchants will get their hands on these features later this week.

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Even though they’ve been updating the Twitter app for iPhone and iPad pretty frequently, that doesn’t mean the one for Android has been totally left behind. In fact, the Twitter team announced today they have updated their Android client to version 2.0. The new version sports a modified interface along with a some feature improvements and additions. These include:

• Use the app without having to sign-in so you can keep track of trending topics and more

• Single window layout much like Twitter on your computer

• @mentions and Retweets are now included in the replies tab

• Auto-complete of User Names

• Universal search with terms you specify

• Scan your address book to discover new friends

Twitter 2.0 for Android is available in the Android Market as of today. If you end up downloading it, let us know what you think.