Red paper tickets are the currency of childhood.

On the shore of Oneida Lake, New York is Sylvan Beach, a small-town resort and amusement complex not unlike thousands of others that dot the country. To a parent, it's a fun day out. Just put the kids in the car and after a short drive set them loose on the beach, rides and sugary snacks.

To a kid, It's Xanadu.

My sisters and I were lucky enough to spend two weeks every summer in Oneida, and Sylvan Beach was the pinnacle of fun. Our grandparents fought toddler-induced exhaustion and a tight budget to host us for fourteen days, and by the time we hit Sylvan, they must have been dragging. Still, they never flinched as we requested money for rides. And sno-cones. And most importantly, for Skee Ball, so we could get tickets.

Oh, the tickets.

Nothing was more satisfying than the tick-tick-tick-clack! of the Skee Ball machine dispensing those heavy, cardboard tickets. The more you got the better you did, and we'd measure them against the length of our arms, our legs and each other. Of course, the best part was handing them to the shady carnie sitting behind a glass display case of cheap crap in trade. It was like shopping without money in a world of brightly-colored plastic. Nothing could be better.

Thirty years later I haven't hefted a wooden ball in a long time, but Ramp Champ for the iPhone and iPod touch offers a killer virtual version. If your unfamiliar, it's a carnival Skee-Ball type game that's wonderfully fun. In fact, the guys at The Iconfactory went all out, treating every detail with TLC: It's visually stunning, the sounds are immersive and dead-on (wear headphones) and game play is challenging, just like real Skee Ball. For more details, check out our first look and full review.

I'll be honest, I adore Twitter. I don't mean "Oh it's so cute and Oprah's on it," I mean in a way that is likely unhealthy. It was just another technology I had an account for but only sort of used until I found out that the Iconfactory created an application for my desktop called Twitterrific that allowed me to have a little corner of my desktop devoted to microblogging. So then I used it a little more.

Then I got my iPhone 3G and the Iconfactory made a version of Twitterrific for that, too. Today, here I sit more than sixteen thousand updates later. Twitterrific was among the first desktop and mobile Twitter apps and terribly exciting. Then some other folks came on the scene, having re-imagined what an iPhone Twitter app could look like. We got Twitterfon and Tweetie, and I found myself very disappointed to have bumped Twitterrific from my home screen.

All of that has changed. Twitterrific 2.0 is out and once again I have an Iconfactory app on my home screen. There are loads of changes, but the standout feature is the option to turn some of these off and on as you desire.

Multiple account support was the revolutionary feature of other clients, and it has now been added to Twitterrific. Adding more is a piece of cake, and the nice thing about it is that your account(s) live on a "Sources" page with the public timeline, saved searches and a list of the current trending topics. I really like this view and it makes things very convenient, especially if you want to check the trending topics on the go.

You'll notice you get three views of your timeline: A "mini" view with just a name and a tweet, the "standard" Twitterrific view of an avatar and bold name with a tweet, and an additional "mega" view, with a larger picture and the text a bit bigger as well (including the client). So far I am loving the mini view, since I can scan easily.

In case a black background with lighter text isn't your thing, you also have the option of three different color schemes, Raven (the classic black), Snowy (lighter, with some 3D elements for selected tweets), and Basic (a black and white option). Right now Snowy is the one that's working for me. I really like the way selected tweets stand out.

Now you can also pick your reply method which is one of the most impressive features. If you have a tweet selected when the entry window comes up, you get your pick of whether or not to tweet, tweet a public @ reply, or DM the author of that tweet based on which tab you choose at the bottom of the window. You can also hide the keyboard to peek back at the timeline in case you want another look at the tweet. This is a really elegant method for entry since a lot of times I want to reply via DM to someone who sent me something publicly, or inadvertently have a tweet selected but I don't want to reply to it. Every time I use this interface I am happier with it in a new way.

To keep from using a lot of screen for the buttons for different views (one each for your timeline, replies, and DMs) there's a little funnel you tap that pops up a bar with those view options in it. As a fan of the mini view this helps me pack even more information on the screen and I like how it's implemented. Next to this icon is a little snowflake/asterisk icon you can tap to get buttons for a link to a selected tweet, retweet, reply to the author, the author's info page, see the conversation thread, email it, or favorite it. You also get a button to mark a tweet. Marking a tweet is like a favorite, but currently those marks are only saved on your phone (it has been mentioned that this will sync with the desktop version eventually).

Other features I really like: the left-handed option made it forward from the previous version, configurable options for tapping an avatar (1, 2, or 3 taps can be set to different actions like show the author or the conversation, add it as a favorite), and there is a notes field on authors so if you are out and about and add someone you can take note of where you met them or how you know them or whatever else you can sometimes want to keep track of.

I love the new version, and I like to think it came about because others came along and innovated which made the Iconfactory step up THEIR game, so now there are a variety of easy to use and nice looking Twitter clients for the iPhone. Now, on to the desktop!

The Iconfactory's Twitterrific was one of the first Twitter applications for the iPhone and iPod touch. Since its introduction, The Twitter App Wars have begun in earnest. If Twitter is the Belle of the Ball, there's a long line of suitors who want to be her beau.

The new Twitterrific makes a serious play for her affection. Long-absent features like multiple account support, search and "tweet actions" like re-tweeting are all included, plus new goodies like a gorgeous, color-coded tabbed UI and the Filter Bar. Quickly find your mentions via "@ replies," direct messages, starred favorites or tweets you've "marked," which are like private favorites.

There's so much more to this app and we'll have a full review for you soon. Until then, you can get familiar with Twitterrific 2 on the new "Tweetorials" page. Twitterrific 2 Premium is available now from the App Store [link] for $3.99US. An ad-supported free version is also available [link].

Twitterrific, from our friends at the Iconfactory, has been updated to version 3.2: the first update for the desktop version of the small-footprint Twitter client in nearly a year.

This new version accurately marks old tweets as read when the software starts, and adds "in reply to" IDs to @ messages so conversations can be more easily tracked.

Also, Twitterrific now uses the more secure HTTPS protocol to communicate with the Twitter servers. Using a proxy server is now more reliable, along with other changes to the network and communication foundation. A complete list of the changes is available on the Iconfactory website.

Twitterrific comes in two flavors: one is free, but supported by ads from The Deck, and the second removes the ads, but is $15. Twitterrific requires Mac OS X 10.4 or later, and a Twitter account (obviously).

The Iconfactory also recently started tweeting themselves, and you can find them at @iconfactory. In related news, remember that you can also follow @TUAW for updates above and beyond what you read on our site, along with tweets from all our contributors, too.

Felt a little bit of acid in my posts lately? Getting an icy vibe off of my writing for the past week? There's no hard feelings to Rose, Christina, or any of the other TUAWers at Macworld (they did an awesome job covering everything), but yes, I was a little bummed that I didn't get to go. This was probably the best show for iPhone games ever, and (like many of you, I suppose) as I watched all of the meetup and demo tweets go by, yes, I steamed a little bit.

But it's OK, because Slide to Play ended up doing exactly what I would have done at Macworld: meet game developers and challenge random people to iPhone games, and they've put it all in video format so I and you other gamers can live vicariously through them. On the way, their host gets beaten by a little kid (which never would have happened if it was me), and they do get in good chats with the guys from Freeverse and Iconfactory about their current (and future) gaming plans.

It's fine. I didn't need to go to Macworld anyway. I had a perfectly fun time sitting here in Chicago, getting buried in snow and playing Samurai Puzzle Battle Arcade all by my lonely self. Who needs Macworld, right? Sigh.

Video in the continuation of the post. Thanks Steve!

The Keynote might not have had everything we were expecting, but Macworld 2009 is still off to a super start.

We're still busy hitting booths and rendering video, you can take a look at some of the fun we've been having.

Highlights:

• The Delicious Monster booth looks just like Delicious Library 2
• The Iconfactory team
• Obviously, the new MacBook Pro unibody.

On last night's talkcast, the Iconfactory's Gedeon Maheux and Craig Hockenberry joined us to discuss their concerns with the App Store, and they noted that Friday's layout changes are a step in the right direction.

"It's another of many steps that Apple's making to make the iTunes infrastructure work better with applications for the iPhone," Hockenberry said. Even so, they explained there's still room for improvement.

Hockenberry would like to see a popularity algorithm that takes into account the price of an app along with the number of times its been downloaded. "If you sell ... ten apps at $100 or a hundred apps at $10 or a thousand apps at $1, you're all equal." He also wanted to see a kind of demo system implemented, but knew that would involve more work for Apple.

Maheux said he would prefer to see more data about where apps are being sold: on a category page versus a tile on the App Store home page, for example. He also pointed out that having an app displayed on the home page results in an astronomical increase in sales. "All those people who say that ... you can market your way to the top: I completely disagree with them. They don't know what they're talking about. ... Being on the [App Store] front page is all that matters."

He said the Iconfactory applauds Apple for responding to developer feedback and improving the App Store. "Anything that starts a dialogue about this stuff is a good thing."

The Iconfactory has released two iPhone apps: the popular twitter client Twitterrific, and strategy game Frenzic.

You can listen to the interview at our Talkshoe page, or via iTunes. The interview starts at about the 25 minute mark. Don't skip the the first part of the talkcast, though, where Dave, Mel and I discuss Apple's netbook possibilities and the ideal kitchen computer.

TouchMeme notes that the App Store has changed layout to separate free and paid applications, perhaps in response to developer grumbling about competition in a crowded market.

Free apps and paid apps now occupy sidebars to the right and left, respectively, of a major category index page. The center still allows you to sort the results by release date, name, or popularity (which doesn't appear to work yet: it only displays an alphabetical list). The separation of free and paid apps brings iTunes more closely in line with the mobile App Store experience. The changes affect every category except Games.

The concerns, though, of the Iconfactory's Craig Hockenberry (who earlier this week published an open letter to Steve Jobs detailing his frustration with marketing iPhone apps) may not be entirely assuaged. He argues that the price appeal of 99-cent apps (which may not be supported by the data) stifles the development of larger, more expensive apps that earn less prominent placement in the App Store.

The issues of price popularity and developer ROI aren't exactly solved by this furniture rearrangement, but perhaps it will let more high-quality apps bubble to the top of the Paid App charts. Otherwise, Apple might yet see the fleshy part of Hockenberry's palm.

[Via AppleInsider.]

I'm not exactly sure why there's so much excitement centered around the upcoming Greensboro Apple Store (my guess is it's because our friend Ged of the Iconfactory can't wait for it to open), but the excitement is there, and Ed Cone has some insight into how the store's deal got put together. Apparently Greensboro won't see the story by December 25th, as there's apparently some argument with the property's owners over whether Apple is "just another computer store" or deserves a better place in the location. You know our answer on that one.

An anonymous reader also tells Ed that the store's construction cost a pretty penny -- $1.7 million for 5,873 square feet, according to the building permit. Unfortunately, we're not sure if that's more expensive than usual or not: most retail places seem to cost a little less according to this, but then again, $1.6 million per store for Apple is about right, according to past numbers.

Either way, hopefully the wrap will be taken off the store soon -- we don't think Ged can wait that much longer.

Iconfactory and ARTIS Software have released Frenzic for iPhone, a fast-paced puzzle game that matches the piece and color combination skills of Bejeweled with a series of pie-shaped game boards.

The game is an ideal timewaster -- my favorite kind of game -- perfect for waiting in line or on the subway.

Frenzic starts off easy enough: you're presented with a colored pie slice, and you must move it from the center of the game board to one of six other pies. Simply complete each pie with six pieces of any color, though matching colors wins extra points and bonuses. A video showing how the game is played is available here.

As you progress, the time you have available to park the current pie slice decreases. Gameplay gets challenging when you are given a piece for a position you already have six of: then you lose a life.

The Iconfactory and its chief typist, Craig Hockenberry, have been hard at work on Twitterrific 1.1, a substantial update to their mobile Twitter client for the iPhone and iPod touch.

The update features much smoother scrolling, larger tweet capacity, the ability to save pictures to the camera roll before uploading them to TwitPic, and secure HTTPS server communication. It also squashes a large number of bugs. A full accounting of the changes is available on Twitterrific's app store page and on the Iconfactory's website.

The app was included in both Mike's and Steve's list of favorite apps for their respective iPhones.

Twitterrific is still available in two flavors. Twitterrific (the free version) periodically shows ads via The Deck, similar to its free counterpart for the desktop. Twitterrific Premium is $9.99, and omits the advertising.

The friendly friends at The Iconfactory have released two editions of Twitterrific for the App Store: one is a free version supported by advertising, and the other is a paid version that omits the ads.

Twitterrific (the free version) periodically shows ads via The Deck, similar to its free counterpart for the desktop.

Twitterrific Premium is $9.99, and omits the advertising. It also includes an extra display theme.

Both apps are available via the App Store.

I'd personally like to congratulate the ADC-award-winning team on their efforts: It looks great, and I'm very much looking forward to using the software on my iPod touch.

Update: The Iconfactory has posted a blog entry about the release, including details about a detail view for each tweet, and a mini-browser to quickly look at links (without having to open Mobile Safari -- but you can if you want to). They even posted some screenshots. Looks awesome!

Our favorite little blue bird has been getting a lot of attention on the Apple site, thanks to its upcoming appearance in the new iPhone/iPod App Store. In their blog, Gedeon Maheux of the Iconfactory talks about the native version of Twitterrific for iPhone and iPod touch.

"We feel both excited and privileged to be a part of the new App Store and are committed to bringing our users the best software we can offer," he writes.

According to Ged, the pricing displayed on the site is "for position only": meaning no decisions have been made about pricing yet. Also, expect Twitterrific to work across EDGE, 3G, and WiFi networks.

In related news, Twitter survived the onslaught of WWDC! Hooray! A short service interruption in their data center caught them off guard, but otherwise they were up for 97.3 percent of the day. Twitter received an order of magnitude more traffic yesterday than they do normally.

Forget WWDC, the iPhone App Store and the Apple Design Awards. The one thing we want to see this summer is the new Indiana Jones movie!

We're sure some of you feel the same anticipation, so why not let your Mac in on the fun? The workers at The Iconfactory have launched their month-long tribute to Dr. Jones with Indy-themed freeware icon sets, one for each movie. So far, the Raiders of the Lost Ark set has been released, while The Temple of Doom, Last Crusade, and The Kingdom of the Crystal Skull icon sets will debut later this month.

If your using CandyBar (we've written about CandyBar several times), you can make use of the Indy-themed Dock. Finally, round things of with this great desktop picture (it's also available for the iPhone!).

Craig Hockenberry is the man, the myth, and the legend behind the absolute best Twitter application on the Mac (he works for the Iconfactory). We would all love to see Twitterrific on the iPhone, but Craig offers up a "healthy dose of reality" regarding the iPhone SDK and backgrounding services (applications that run in the background even though the phone is running a different foreground app).

In a recent blog post, Craig attempts to explain why Apple will not be giving developers access to backgrounding services on the iPhone. He points out that in a mockup design of "Mobile Twitterrific," based on the jailbreak/community toolchain, refreshing the XML data from Twitter every 5 minutes led to a dead iPhone battery in only 4 hours.

"The heart of the problem [is] the radios. Both the EDGE and Wi-Fi transceivers have significant power requirements," he says. "Whenever that hardware is on, your battery life is going to suck."

He also reiterated what Apple said about the "Core Location" feature that Apple provided in the SDK: use it only on an "as-needed" basis. Craig said that the issue of backgrounding services may get addressed later on, but right now Apple is preventing iPhone developers from "shooting themselves in the foot." He said that it will take months before the desktop developers have gotten the mindset of an iPhone developer, and that thinking like a desktop developer will lead to bad designs.