Showing posts with label iPhone. Show all posts
Showing posts with label iPhone. Show all posts

Tuesday, April 28, 2009

iPhone Apps: The Good, The Bad, And The Ugly

Colin's Major AppsThe other day I asked my tweeps on twitter, through a tweet (say that five times fast) that if they had an iPhone/iPod touch to tweet back their favorite applications. I got a great response, and great suggestions; many of which I gave a shot.

After testing these, and other apps, I've put together a nowhere-near-comprehensive list of apps: both useful and not so much.

Below you will find a list of app names (clickable links go to iTunes app store) followed either by a '+' (give it a go), '/' (eh) or an 'X' (Ewwe...) Also, a brief description of said app is included. Finally, you will notice that all apps listed are FREE. Simply beautiful :)

* Facebook (+) Love making music and giving it away ilegally? Then this is definitely not the app for you. Use Facebook to stay in touch with friends and family :D

* Evernotes (X) If you have a super-crappy memory then you may find this app useful. Personally, it was more trouble to me than it was worth and ended up being a giant waist of time.

* TwitterFon (+) Amazing app for those who experience symptoms of twitter withdrawl. Very easy to use and comprehensive!

* TwitterTrends (/) Although semi-useful, this 'hashtag-or-twitter-search-esque' app was not all I expected. I still use it because of it's colorful and pretty UI, but honestly, TwitterFon's trend tracker works fine.

* MobileLinked (+) This chat program works great with my gTalk account. It's super easy to use; no complaints overall. If you're into the whole Social Networking gig, I'd give ya the Nike slogan.

* LifeCast (+) if you're a blogger and your provider doesn't have their own app (like say, Blogspot) Lifecast is your solution! As a matter of fact, I'm posting from it right now. ;)
Posts may not be beautifully pretty, but they do get the message across.

* Pandora (+) Internet radio! What does that mean? Free streaming music in an iTunes 'genius-like' way. Go for it, open the box.

* Fandango (+) As far as movie/movie time apps go, this definitely takes the cake. Just plug in your zip to find theaters and showtimes near you. Also, beautiful iPhone UI.

* Bible (+) How could I give the Bible a low score? Seriously, though, this app is incredible. While online look up verses, or just read, in any of the major translations. Also, if you find yourself grounded with no connection, dowloadable translations are available for free!

* Wikipanion (/) I give this app a partial for one reason, and one reason only: the icon sucks. It's brown, and looks like a Junior Higher made it in MS Paint. Other then that, very useful for finding Wikipedia articles.

* Myspace (X) In my mind, and in my experience, Myspace=slow. I was hoping this app would prove me wrong and give me a reason to check my prehistoric account. Let's just say it didn't. The app is every bit as chunky as the site, and it makes me wanna puke. Problem is, I have no alternative. So, for the time being, I'm stuck between a rock and a hard place. My suggestion: don't bother with Myspace in the first place. Go with Facebook.

* Shazam (/) The idea for this app is great: run it while putting your iDevice next to a music source. Through ancient shaman magic, in about 30 seconds the app tells you the song name. Problem: it only works about 50% of the time. I'd say get it, but don't make music bets with your friends that depend on it.

* Remote (++) Awesome app! Use your iPhone/touch as a remote for iTunes via wifi! Very useful, also great party trick!

* Remote Desktop Lite (++) This app is amazing! Connect to your home PC via WiFi, EDGE, or 3G! Enables complete control of your PC in the palm of your hand! Takes some computer knowledge and lingo, but I found I was able to set it up in a matter of minutes. Great for reading my chemistry CD when I don't want to get on my desktop.

What are your favorite apps?
Colin

Saturday, April 25, 2009

The Jury Is In, The Votes Counted, And The Bill Signed

After a couple of days of being with my new iPhone (I call him Reginald) I've decided to write a little review on my experiences thus far.

First and foremost, I was VERY excited about even the prospect of getting an iPhone. When I opened the gift, I simply couldn't help but grin widely.
My experiences since that point of opening have barely changed. Here are some bullets of my thoughts:

*OS is unbeatable. Just looking at the menu proves that this phone is 100% Apple. Awesome UI overall.

*App store is amazing! Free apps help me stay connected with my twitter, facebook, myspace, google talk, and skype.

*3G is great, but a battery waster. I'm sure Mac is working on that issue though. I love being online when I want, however, so yin does meet yang.

*Copy and paste, or rather lack thereof, kills me. I hear this is being fixed in the OS update, 3.0

*Although cute and theoretically useful, I find the built in iPod to be somewhat worthless. Maybe it's just because I have an 8 gig, but regardless it seems like filling that space with apps and movies is far better than music. After all, you can simply download pandora for the music side of life. Realize this is coming from a guy with a brand new nano to fit his music needs lol.

*Google maps is beautiful. 'Nuff said.

Perhaps some of my opinions will change with time, but for now that's what I think.

I love my iPhone :)
Colin

Wednesday, April 22, 2009

Birthday, update, etc.

I know I've gone too long between posts when Google asks for my login credentials...

Thought I'd do a quick update!
First and foremost: tomorrow is my 17th birthday!!! WOOHOO!!!

Basically, this last week has felt like a month. I participated in a Boy Scout Competition called Willow Creek last weekend (biggest in the Northwest) and my troop took 1st place! Since then I've been doing school, lacrosse, repeat pretty much everyday. Gets a little tired after awhile =/

The good thing is I've had this weekend to look forward to! Tomorrow, it finally begins!
I was asking for a crappy laptop for my birthday, but because of my Europe trip this summer, my mom suggested I ask for an iPhone instead! Let's just say she didn't have to ask me twice :)

Tonight has been spent working on my Sprint contract (I got my bill down to $10 a month so I don't have to pay the $200 early cancellation fee!) and getting the iPhone logistics worked out (only $50 a month when paired with my dad's plan!). So, if all goes well, I should be living in iPhone world tomorrow, baby!

That being said, I'm mostly looking forward to spending time with my family and girlfriend tomorrow :) Dinner at my sister's house is gonna be way rad!

If you want to see what I'm up to, check out my twitter!

Thanks, and hopefully I'll get to my next post sooner rather then later!

Colin