– Welcome to the iPhone, HBO: The premium cable network has launched an iPhone app that gives users show snippets and a program guide, but the main purpose of the free app is to drive digital downloads. The new app, HBO’s first, has a “Buy Episode” button that funnels users to iTunes or *Amazon.*
Rival Showtime released a much more robust app in October — letting users stream full-length shows — but VideoBusiness says HBO’s app still has “plenty of other video.” The app also lets people share commentary about HBO shows through Facebook and Twitter, as well as get mobile updates about their favorites.
— A new Facebook … err, LinkedIn app: LinkedIn apparently has Facebook on the brain, at least when it comes to the latest version of its iPhone app. Version 3.0 (iTunes link) has a new home screen that gives users one-touch access the core functions of the app; previously, users had to navigate with a bar at the bottom of the screen. And as TechCrunch notes, the new navigation scheme is quite similar to Facebook’s much-lauded iPhone app. It also includes three new features: “In Person,” which lets users swap contact info from their iPhones via Bluetooth; “Reconnect,” which tries connecting users with people they likely knew in the past; and “Themes,” for customization.
— Panasonic shaves against the grain: Panasonic has launched its first iPhone app, a kitschy game that lets people “retouch” photos by adding facial hair, and then use a Panasonic-branded razor to shave it off. Included are the requisite links back to a company microsite, as well as an “educational” video; Panasonic exec Walter Taffarello tells Mediapost that it’s part of the company’s goal to reach “young professionals” in “new and alternative ways.” Most intriguing is that 360i, which handles Panasonic’s digital ad strategy, actually developed the app in-house.

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