iPhone software 2.0
tbmshark -- Fri, 07/18/2008 - 10:11
For those, like me, who have and old iPhone and aren't ready to throw another two or three hundred bucks at a 3G, there is some good news. The software for the 3G phone is available for the first generation phone and its got some nice new features, most notably the App Store, which has hundreds of downloadable applications, roughly half of which are free (the others are $5-$10). I'm a bit of a purist so I haven't seen fit to throw too many applications on my home screen(s), but right now I have added NYT and Pandora (both free). Some other apps of note include facebook (free), guitar tuners which actually use the mic on your phone ($2.99-$9.99), a number of dictionaries, encyclopedias and bibles, and tons of games.
Don't forget the free LightSaber application, called PhoneSaber. Very useful for having LightSaber battles in the office. Just the sound makes the enemy cower in the corner.
Here is a list of the apps I've download to my iPhone 3G and my initial comment w/rating
Omnifocus (B-): Organizer that I haven't learned to use but seemed good at the time. We'll see if it is really worth the $19.00. I give it a C until I move past my laziness and integrate it into my workflow. Essentially is a fancy to-do list.
Airme (B): Free app that allows me to upload my pictures directly to my flickr account with geo-tags. It is pretty simple but crashes occasionally
Bloomberg (C-): Free app that gives stock and business news. Not very detailed but has a very pretty graph.
BoxOffice (B): Provides a list of movies and showtimes for the area. Unfortunately it is for the current day only
Crosswords (B): Good distraction but the interface isn't very intuitive. I would expect more for the $5.00 (Isn't that funny)
Facebook (A-): Actually a better interface for me than their website but I don't really use it that much
Light (B): Free app that doubles as a flashlight. Haven't had the need but who knows.
Loopt (B+): Interesting concept where it sends my location to my group and theirs to me. Could be problematic if the user has a limited texting plan as it uses SMS to update the system with your location
Mobile News Network (A): Free news app that has an intuitive UI for national news. Local news seems to be at the state level.
More Cowbell (A): Great app if you're a fan of the Christopher Walken cowbell skit on SNL
MyWeather Mobile (A): Paid app that gives weather including looped radar in vertical/horizontal mode as well as
Pandora (A): Great free app to stream music. It is an awesome ad-hoc radio station for the car
PhoneSaber (A-): Worthless yet brilliant app to waste hours of time completing your Jedi training
Remote (A+): Completely awesome app that provides a remote control to iTunes. if you are using a PC connected to your home theater, it is a great itunes remote
Shazam (B): Free app that lets you hold your iphone up to music and it will recognize the song. Very cool and great in theory but not sure of the exact situation where I would use it. If I am driving down the road, listening to the radio, it wouldn't be very safe to open the app
Twitteriffic (B): Simple free app that is very effective in displaying generally worthless information. The free version has ads in the feed but if it bugs you can pay $5.00 to get rid them.
Weatherbug (B): Free app that gives basic weather info. I am getting rid of this now that I've splurged on MyWeather mobile
Wordpress (B+): Free app that is great for blogging remotely. While I don't generally find myself needing to immediately blog, it is a really nice app that gets the job done.
WritingPad (B): Innovative free app that provides a point-to-point way to write. While I don't see myself using it often it is an innovative way to type
Post new comment