Iconoculture: App store enhancements are making it easier than ever for consumers to supe up their smartphones. The iTunes Store now has a “Give a Gift” feature just for apps. It allows users to give iPod Touch and iPhone applications and games to friends via email or an actual gift certificate.

Developed by Vitrue, the new App Store Facebook page has a lot of the same features as the original App Store, like top picks and featured content.

For smartphones to effectively mainstream, their virtual storefronts have to lead the way. Consumers expect app access on their terms and with a minimum of hassle.
Gift certificates and Facebook integration have app-etites on the rise [Iconoculture]

Thread.com in less than a minute from Thread.com on Vimeo.

Iconoculture: Lonely hearts looking for love online, but tired of registration-heavy dating sites and wary of total strangers, can tug on Thread for a Facebook-friend-vetted flame-finding alternative. Launched in September 2009 and currently in beta, the currently free Facebook Connect-powered service only requires users to fill out a bare-bones questionnaire to get started. Once up and running, users can easily browse other Threadsters sorted by degrees of separation from themselves. If someone looks appealing, users can ask a mutual friend for an intro or be gutsy and send the possible paramour a Facebook message directly.

Thread couples online singles via mutual Facebook friends [Iconoculture]