Monthly Archives: December 2009

“A” is for “Apps” :)

Posted on
Reply

By now, every iPhone owner/user knows what an app is and how they rock. Apps give the iPhone quite a punch, and many mobile device producers are following suit to the genius of Apple once again. For the uninitiated, “app” is simply short for “application software”. Application software itself is software that is designed for users to perform a particular task. For example, Microsoft Word is a word processor (way more than that, actually) that helps many people do their day-to-day word processing. Microsoft Excel does the same for the number-crunchers of the world. iTunes is a multimedia app that continues to expand in how it provides us with multimedia entertainment. I could go on…

But enough with the definitions! It’s time for me to list some of my favorite apps for you.

The order of the list I’ll provide will have no particular bearing on whether or not I believe one app is better than another. Some apps I use way more than others, but some of the ones I don’t use frequently are priceless in certain given situations. Since I currently have 91 apps on my iPhone (yeah, yeah. I knoooow), including the standard apps which come with an iPhone when you first purchase it, there’s absolutely no way I’ll be going through all of them. I’ll simply try and stick to my favorite 10.

Here goes:

GPS Thermometer – When I wake up in the morning, there certain things I want to know immediately: 1) how soon can I get the coffee on 2) where’s my Bible and prayer book 3) what’s the temperature going to be today. Granted, the first two are totally up to me (assuming our little Esme is sleeping soundly and I haven’t kicked some noisy toy, or stepped on some toy that will make me become noisy), but knowing the temperature in Sweden in the winter is no joke. The last thing you want is to not dress properly when a cold snap is in effect. That’s where GPS Thermometer comes in handy. It lets me know what the temperature is according to my GPS position. It hasn’t failed me yet, btw. And when you have to sometimes dress a little one, you want to be extra careful there as well. GPS Thermometer costs 7SEK/.99 cents.

Facebook – Put simply, it’s a mobile version of the very same super popular (350 million strong and growing) social networking app you’re used to hearing about in the internet world. This version allows  me to keep up with things when I’m on the move. For example, Esme and I just came back from town and I gave a quick peek at the happenings on my Facebook page while we were on the subway. Facebook for iPhone/iPod Touch is free. :)

1Password – If you have personal data of value on your iPhone that you really don’t want anyone else to get a hold of (e.g. passwords, PIN codes, etc.), then this is the app for you. 1Password is an award-winning password and identity manager that securely stores and encrypts your data. There is also a Mac version of 1Password that does the same excellent job of protecting the data on your Macs that syncs wonderfully with the iPhone/iPod Touch version. 1Password costs 38SEK/$5 for the iPhone/iPod Touch.

AppBox Pro – is truly the Swiss Army knife of the iPhone/iPod Touch world. It’s an app with 18 additional apps in it. It contains that following:

Not too shabby, eh? Believe it or not, one of the most valuable things for me is the flashlight. It’s makes my iPhone a pretty bright flashlight that allows me to sneak around the apartment and dodge the stray toys that Esme leaves around from time to time. The Currency and Battery Life apps are pretty handy as well. AppBox Pro costs 7SEK/.99 cents.

Olive Tree BibleReader – is pretty much the best mobile Bible Reader I’ve come across (and I’ve looked). It contains all of the standard Bible reference materials serious studiers of the Bible look for in a Bible Reading app. I do wish they would offer more material from the early history of the Church, but one can’t have everything I guess. For the money, it’s a really good app. Olive Tree BibleReader costs 7SEK/.99 cents with different packages available for download from 38SEK/$5 to 195SEK/$30.

Need For Speed Undercover – All work and no play makes the Harlemite a very dull person. That’s why even Yours Truly likes to kick back and have a bit of gaming fun. At the moment my outlet for this is Need For Speed Undercover. Not only are the graphics excellent, but the sound effects and driving challenges are pretty neat as well. I’ve been having quite the time earning a little bit of cash by winning some races, and buying different cars. The folks at EA Sports have definitely figured out how to take full advantage of the iPhone’s gyroscope. Need For Speed Undercover costs 38SEK/$5 and is worth every bit. ;)

På Stan – is a Swedish app that a friend, colleague, and fellow iPhone addict tipped me about (hat-tip your way Lady Linda ;) ). In a nutshell, it’s an app that tells you what’s going on in town and where (på stan means in/on town in Swedish).

One can choose from concerts, clubs, art, theater, sports, things for kids, and misc. categories. When you select a category, you are given a list of events to choose from. When you choose an event, you then get information that includes the time, place, description of the event, the nearest means of public transportation, and even a map with the location of the area, a phone number, the ability to e-mail it to a friend, and the ability to bookmark it for later. Believe it or not this app is totally free. :D

Stanza – Stanza is a free eBook reader from the good people of Lexcycle. As eBook readers go, this one is pretty darn good. Through the Stanza store, one can choose from popular selections such as Malcolm Gladwell’s Blink, Stephen Meyers’ Twilight, and works from other renown authors such as Stephen King, Mary Higgens Clark, and the great C.S. Lewis. One also has access to over 50,000 free works through the Stanza store that are definitely worth perusing. Stanza itself is a free app, and certain eBooks are available for download at varying prices.

Voice Memos – This is a standard app that comes with every iPhone and iPod Touch at no cost. This comes in handy for me for a couple of reasons. When I’m in a huge hurry and need to make a quick dash to the store, but don’t have time to write anything down, a voice memo is the answer. I have literally used it to rattle off a list of stuff at the grocery store while I was en route. It’s pretty handy. I have also used it for a bit of fun with my little daughter Esme from time to time. ;)

Notes (no pic yet) – There are some things that are simply just good to have. Notes is one of them. When I do have time to write something down, Notes is usually my vehicle for doing it. Yes, you can find loads of fancy-schmancy apps out there that will do “notes” in a much prettier way, but I don’t need all of that. Besides, since Mac OS X 10.6 Snow Leopard, Notes synchronizes with Apple Mail. Yep. The very same Notes you see there can be synced to your iPhone. That’s pretty neat.

Well, I think I’ve given you enough to chew on for a bit, but I STILL have other things to write about.

Please feel free to drop me an e-mail on what your favorite app is. I’d really be interested in knowing, and simply enjoy experiencing a new and cool app when I can.

Until the next time… Laterz.

iPhone Let Downs and Some Questions Answered

Posted on
Reply

I’m still a more-than satisfied iPhone user. Odds are this isn’t likely to change. If anything, the more I use it and get used to it, the better the experience becomes.

That said, I can’t honestly say the iPhone isn’t without it’s faults. In fact, Let me jump right into a couple of areas I think Apple can do better in:

  • Built-in camera. In all fairness, I was using a Nokia N95 before I switched to the iPhone. When it comes to mobile phone cameras, there’s not much out there that can compete with the N95′s built-in camera. I’m talking about a phone with a up to 5 megapixel (2592 x 1944 pixels) camera, Carl Zeiss optics, Tessar lens, MPEG-4 VGA video capture of up to 30 fps, digital stereo microphone, flash modes: on, off, automatic, redeye reduction, video resolutions: up to VGA (640×480) at 30 fps, video file format .mp4 (default), .3gp (for MMS), white balance: automatic, sunny, cloudy, incandescent, fluorescent, scene: automatic, night, color tones: normal, sepia, black & white, negative, vivid, zoom: digital up to 10x (VGA up to 4x)… And I could go on. All of that and a phone. Now, one could honestly say, “Well why not just buy a video camera instead.” We have a very nice video camera in our home, and we use it (though not enough because of time, of course). However, it doesn’t fit in my pocket. With my N95 I couldn’t count the amount of times I quickly grabbed it to capture something my youngest daughter was doing, or some nice scene I was in the midst of. With the iPhone I get 3 megapixels, autofocus, tap to focus (which is actually pretty cool), video recording, VGA up to 30 fps with audio, and no flash. From what I’ve read, this is actually a step up for the iPhone compared to the first camera. Nevertheless, it simply can’t compete to the Nokia N95′s camera. Heck! Not many built-in mobile phone cameras out there can still! If the iPhone had such a camera it would be pointless for other mobile phone makers to even bother producing a product. At least that’s what I think. ;)
  • Battery life. The iPhone is actually a mini-computer with a built-in GPS, camera, running wi-fi and Bluetooth, is multi-lingual, push mail capable, and fits in your pocket. Any device that does all that and is that size is going to drain the battery. With all of the bells and whistles blowing full-out, I can easily go through my battery in a day. When I leave home I try and remember to deactivate the wi-fi, but I keep my Bluetooth going for my Bluetooth headset, and seeing as my calling plan offers unlimited data, I don’t tend to turn off the 3G function. Like other iPhone users, I have iPod cables and docks at work and home (Okay. We all know that by now I’ve bought enough Apple equipment to have plenty of cables for this. Heck, I’ve purchased 4 iPods alone in the last several years, so my supply of iPhone cables is pretty good) just in case my juice runs low. In the past I would’ve thought this a bit of a pain and quite tedious. That was before purchasing an iPhone. Those who don’t own one will think me a bit silly. That’s okay. I understand. I was there too. But it’s really one of those things where you have to experience it for yourself. It pretty much falls in line with owning a Mac. They just work, and work well. Funny how those strange folks in Cupertino manage to pull this off time and again… Regarding the issue of battery life, there now seems to be a bit of light at the end of the tunnel. The mophie Juice Pack Air is both an iPhone case and an extra battery. It’s recommended by Apple and seems like a pretty viable option in that it’s nowhere near as large as I thought it would be. Of course, I plan on checking out one in person at an Apple store before considering purchasing one though.

Now let me answer some common questions folks tend to have regarding switching to an iPhone:

  • What’s it like SMSing/texting with it? I was one of the folks who thought I’d never get used to not having the tactile feeling of some type of keyboard beneath my fingertips. Even with my N95 I could float across its keypad rather quickly. If there was anything I was sort of hesitant about it was this. Nevertheless, the iPhone’s intelligent keyboard turned out to be all Apple said it would be. The biggest part of everything was forcing myself to actually trust the darn thing to learn my habits. Once I let go, things just got easier. Check out their video to see more of what I’m talking about.
  • How will switching to an iPhone impact me if I speak another language? This is no problem either. First, if you speak another language, changing from one language to another for the entire phone is quite simple. In fact, rather than bore you with the steps, I’ve found a YouTube video that shows you exactly what I mean. (The gentleman in the video is obviously a representative for a company that produces an app called Shake; nonetheless, out of all the videos I looked at, this one offered the best video quality, so I chose it). As far as switching keyboards, the iPhone intelligent keyboard video above covers this toward the very end of the clip.
  • Syncing. If you’re a Mac owner, syncing will be the very same wonderful, flawless experience you’re used to. It will be done via iTunes, taking the pertinent information from your Mac. The screen that offers the configuration settings should look like this:

As you can see in this particular case, I am also offered the choice to sync (or not by unchecking the box) with my Yahoo! and Google contacts, as wells as the calendars I selected in the Calendars area. If you are not a Mac owner (poor you! ;) ), I hear that Google Sync is a pretty decent alternative that also offers push mail (and if you have an iPhone push mail is something you want). Have a look for yourself and see if it’s for you.

  • Cool Bonus. One thing that I also dig quite a bit, especially as a MobileMe user, is the ability to Find My iPhone. This allows me to literally find out where on earth my iPhone is or at least in the vicinity of. For example at this very moment my iPhone is here:

If I was somewhere else and concerned about the information on my iPhone, I could send a message, play a sound, lock it using a remote passcode, or send a remote wipe command that would delete all media and data on the phone. I like being able to do that. In fact, I like it a lot. :D

In the next post I’ll get into some of the apps I like as well as what it’s like using a phone that’s locked to one provider (how American yet UNAmerican!). For now I think I’ve provided you with enough to chew on for a bit.

Laterz. ;)