Sunday, May 17, 2009
The iPhone Post
 | Oasis - Champagne Supernova |
I was actually trying to write this the other day and for some reason Blogger wasn't complying with my new FTP password. Everything's working now, though...odd.
So neztach just got a new iPhone and he was asking me what all I do with mine. He's no doubt trying to move out of the stoneage. :p I'm going to do my best to keep this organized and give an idea of how I use this thing daily.
Home Screens
As you can see, I have and use quite a few applications, both standard and downloaded from the app store. In some cases I even have redundant applications for the same task, but with slightly different features. There's really no right or wrong way to organize home screens (or just go for straight up anarchy!). I basically try to organize mine by like tasks, so for example, on the second line of the first home screen are several of my social networking apps. On the first line of my second screen are my streaming audio apps, etc. I guess this method of organizing is held over from the good old days of when I carried a Handspring Visor and later a Palm Tungsten T2 with me everywhere. Can't remember whatever happened to those things.
SMS Text (Text Messaging)
It's almost a given in this day and age that people text. I remember before going back to school in 2003, I'd be lucky to send or receive 20 texts in a year. At my peak during school, and with the aid of an unlimited plan, I inched just over 2,800 messages in one month. I'm out of school now and the days of a hundred texts a day are gone, but I still appreciate a good SMS application.
I actually managed to cripple my T-Mobile Dash by trying to install a threaded SMS client. After that, my factory AIM client never worked again. On the iPhone, Apple has made the whole process painless and included the iChat interface that I'm very fond of. The only thing that would make this better is if they integrated the SMS (and upcoming MMS) functionality with the standard IM protocols. One place for messaging, everything from SMS to Google Talk, would be amazingly handy.
Fring (Instant Messaging)
Now I'm not going to lie and say that this is the best IM client I've ever used. Far from it, actually. What it does do right, though, is combine every possible IM protocol into one package (I use MSN, AIM, Skype, and Google Talk). My main beef with the application is that it completely breaks the UI for each client. Instead of feeling like I'm messaging someone on Google Talk or someone on AIM, it feels like the separate services don't even exist. That's an especially annoying UI choice when it comes to multiple contacts and I'm trying to hunt down their Skype account, for instance.
All that said, Fring is a great option for free, especially considering the only better IM app on the iPhone is Beejive which runs a way too pricey $16. It'll be interesting to see what happens once Apple rolls out iPhone OS 3.0 with push notifications. I'm holding out hope that someone will port Pidgin.
Rooms (IRC client)
Simply put, this app is amazing. Sitting in the Minneapolis/St. Paul airport this last Christmas for over 5 hours, I was trying to pass the time through watching some Netflix DVDs on my MacBook Pro (incidentally, avoid Sweeney Todd), I felt the itch to get online and check out what was going on in my normal IRC channels. Airport Wi-Fi was just as overpriced as the gum at $10 for one day's access. After hitting up the app store, I 'walked' away with this app at the bargain price of $2.99.
Basically this does everything you're used to on a normal IRC client short of DCC send. Full support for multiple servers, channels, onjoins, notifications on new messages (dot blinks), portrait and landscape keyboard, mod utilities...everything. I don't know if there are other IRC apps out there, and I really don't care. The only better IRC client I've ever used is X-Chat, and not by much.
Twittelator Pro (Twitter Client)
Without a doubt, this is the best Twitter client on the market, desktop or mobile. Any and every function of Twitter that I can think of is in this program: follow/unfollow, retweet, reply, email, favorite, groups, threaded conversations, search, trends, landscape typing, pics from your library or snap a pic, GPS location, in-app browser, etc etc etc.
There are a lot of Twitter apps out there, and even a dozen or more for the iPhone. Some are free and offer perfectly good service. For someone who truly wants the most robust and easy to use Twitter client, however, $4.99 for Twittelator Pro is a great deal.
Weather Channel (Weather)
SMS Text (Text Messaging)
It's almost a given in this day and age that people text. I remember before going back to school in 2003, I'd be lucky to send or receive 20 texts in a year. At my peak during school, and with the aid of an unlimited plan, I inched just over 2,800 messages in one month. I'm out of school now and the days of a hundred texts a day are gone, but I still appreciate a good SMS application.I actually managed to cripple my T-Mobile Dash by trying to install a threaded SMS client. After that, my factory AIM client never worked again. On the iPhone, Apple has made the whole process painless and included the iChat interface that I'm very fond of. The only thing that would make this better is if they integrated the SMS (and upcoming MMS) functionality with the standard IM protocols. One place for messaging, everything from SMS to Google Talk, would be amazingly handy.
Fring (Instant Messaging)
Now I'm not going to lie and say that this is the best IM client I've ever used. Far from it, actually. What it does do right, though, is combine every possible IM protocol into one package (I use MSN, AIM, Skype, and Google Talk). My main beef with the application is that it completely breaks the UI for each client. Instead of feeling like I'm messaging someone on Google Talk or someone on AIM, it feels like the separate services don't even exist. That's an especially annoying UI choice when it comes to multiple contacts and I'm trying to hunt down their Skype account, for instance.All that said, Fring is a great option for free, especially considering the only better IM app on the iPhone is Beejive which runs a way too pricey $16. It'll be interesting to see what happens once Apple rolls out iPhone OS 3.0 with push notifications. I'm holding out hope that someone will port Pidgin.
Rooms (IRC client)
Simply put, this app is amazing. Sitting in the Minneapolis/St. Paul airport this last Christmas for over 5 hours, I was trying to pass the time through watching some Netflix DVDs on my MacBook Pro (incidentally, avoid Sweeney Todd), I felt the itch to get online and check out what was going on in my normal IRC channels. Airport Wi-Fi was just as overpriced as the gum at $10 for one day's access. After hitting up the app store, I 'walked' away with this app at the bargain price of $2.99.Basically this does everything you're used to on a normal IRC client short of DCC send. Full support for multiple servers, channels, onjoins, notifications on new messages (dot blinks), portrait and landscape keyboard, mod utilities...everything. I don't know if there are other IRC apps out there, and I really don't care. The only better IRC client I've ever used is X-Chat, and not by much.
Twittelator Pro (Twitter Client)
Without a doubt, this is the best Twitter client on the market, desktop or mobile. Any and every function of Twitter that I can think of is in this program: follow/unfollow, retweet, reply, email, favorite, groups, threaded conversations, search, trends, landscape typing, pics from your library or snap a pic, GPS location, in-app browser, etc etc etc.There are a lot of Twitter apps out there, and even a dozen or more for the iPhone. Some are free and offer perfectly good service. For someone who truly wants the most robust and easy to use Twitter client, however, $4.99 for Twittelator Pro is a great deal.
Weather Channel (Weather)
Outside of that, however, the app delivers. Current conditions, hourly, 36 hour, local radar static or in motion, and even up to the minute video forecasts with an actual Weather Channel anchor. Finally, one of my favorite features, is the severe weather tab along the bottom that will gain a number badge (eg. 4) if there are any severe weather alerts in your area. Given this area of Texas, severe weather is pretty frequent and it's always nice to have these alerts in case power goes out or the cable signal drops.
Google Maps (maps/phonebook)
Not really a whole lot to say about this app. It's absolutely essential and rightly included with every single iPhone that ships. Maps, driving directions, street view added in 2.x, quick access to both phone numbers (tap once to dial) and websites. If you've used the desktop version of Google Maps, this is fairly close. All that's missing is the handy reviews.YouTube (videos)
Pretty cut and dry app. It's not too bad at all when on WiFi, but is crippled on 3G due to lower bitrate videos (imposed by AT&T presumably). Other missing features are: the ability to sort, rating videos, commenting on videos, reading comments, adding to favorites, and many more. While it's great to have access to YouTube videos on the run, I'd have to say this is by far the most lackluster default app on the iPhone. If you just want a simple to use interface, then there you go.Photos (iPhoto library)
Great implementation of the iPhoto library on the iPhone. I'm hoping in the future that Apple adds in the basic editing features found in iPhoto such as enhance, red eye, and crop. Outside of that, this app provides quick and easy to navigate access to all of your photos, and even has the ability for a slideshow. Tap the icon on the lower left to use as a wallpaper, email, or assign to one of your contacts.Streaming Audio (Pandora, Slacker, Last.fm)
What can you say about this category. All three programs are fairly similar with different levels of customization. Pandora takes artists/songs that you input on the website or rate up and down on the device and attempts to find matching styles utilizing the Music Genome Project. You can make (as far as I know) an unlimited number of channels with different themes. The downside to Pandora is it tends to repeat a bit too often.
Slacker takes an approach somewhere in between Pandora and satellite radio. While you can create your own stations, most genres are already covered and playlists are organized by producers. Favoriting a song means that particular song will come up more during rotation but has no bearing on any other songs played. Banning naturally means you won't hear that song (or optionally artist) again. The nice part of Slacker is being able to switch between stations without the need to build your own. The main downside to Slacker is occasional commercials for non premium subscribers.
Last.fm offers the least amount of customization but, in my experience, matches listening preferences much better than the other two programs. Because you "scrobble" (tell Last.fm) what you're listening to on your iPod or in iTunes/Banshee/etc it's able to match your musical tastes to other available music. The "Recommended for..." playlist is quite fun and I use it often both on the iPhone and in Banshee. On the downside, it's impossible to listen to specific genres in Last.fm without paying a monthly fee, and even then, it's pretty poor implementation.
The reason I have three of these apps is because all three fit different needs at different times. I listen to none of them all the time, instead going back and forth between the three and my iPod.
Slacker takes an approach somewhere in between Pandora and satellite radio. While you can create your own stations, most genres are already covered and playlists are organized by producers. Favoriting a song means that particular song will come up more during rotation but has no bearing on any other songs played. Banning naturally means you won't hear that song (or optionally artist) again. The nice part of Slacker is being able to switch between stations without the need to build your own. The main downside to Slacker is occasional commercials for non premium subscribers.
Last.fm offers the least amount of customization but, in my experience, matches listening preferences much better than the other two programs. Because you "scrobble" (tell Last.fm) what you're listening to on your iPod or in iTunes/Banshee/etc it's able to match your musical tastes to other available music. The "Recommended for..." playlist is quite fun and I use it often both on the iPhone and in Banshee. On the downside, it's impossible to listen to specific genres in Last.fm without paying a monthly fee, and even then, it's pretty poor implementation.
The reason I have three of these apps is because all three fit different needs at different times. I listen to none of them all the time, instead going back and forth between the three and my iPod.
Movies & TV (Flixster, Now Playing, i.TV)
Much like the music apps, I have two movie apps to cover different needs. Flixster offers the ability to connect reviews of movies to Facebook and of course all of the usual options of viewing trailers, seeing ratings, and purchasing tickets. Now Playing picks up Rotten Tomatoes reviews (great feature!), also includes trailers, and can manage Netflix queues in real time. Also I find that usually if you can't buy tickets online through one app, you can usually get to them through the other.
i.TV is handy for ghetto TVs that have no cable box or DVR. I believe it has some TiVo functionality to it, but since I don't have one, that's a moot point for me. It's not an essential app by any means, but is put together well nonetheless.
Truveo (Video)
A recent app that I found, Truveo links directly into AOL's video aggregating site of the same name. The cool little app lets you search multiple services and view videos including entire TV shows and full length movies. Definitely an awesome alternative to sideloading your own content before heading out, or purchasing content from the iTunes store. The interface is a bit buggy, but I expect that it will continue to improve with new versions.
Lose It! (Health & Fitness)
A very nice little app (and free!) that lets you track your daily food intake and exercises. You can see data daily or weekly by graph form. It also includes nutrients to help you see if you're hitting your goals on daily splits (eg. 40 protein/20 fat/20 carbs). The interface is intuitive and the program includes a very nice sized database of generic, name brand, and restaurant foods. Definitely a must have app for anyone who wants the benefits of keeping a journal without lugging a binder around with them everywhere.
Google Reader (RSS reader)
This is almost cheating since this app is just a link on my home screen to a Google web app. That said, Google Reader has been my favorite RSS reader for years now. Using the desktop version you can customize categories, tags, and subscriptions. The mobile version is a little less featured than that, but still offers the ability to read stories with images in line, mark favorites for sharing, email, and more. The best part is that since it's synced with Google, your unread items are kept to date whether you access from the desktop or the iPhone. No going back and forth between separate applications on different devices.
SplashID (password vault)
Unfortunately this is all I can show you of my SplashID app, but there is a ton more information and screenshots here. I've been using this program since way back during the Visor/Palm OS days. With so many logins to websites for everything from forums to phone bills, it's an absolutely essential app for me. This is especially true these days as websites are starting to require increasingly complex passwords to guard against hackers. At $9.95 the app is a bit on the pricey side, but it is by far the best utility out there both for managing the information and keeping it secure. Truly an app I could not live without.
Wikipanion (Wikipedia access)
There are several apps out there for accessing Wikipedia, and Wikipanion is my favorite. While you could just open up Safari and go to Wikipedia, that option doesn't offer the luxuries of being formatted for the iPhone's screen, quick access to each section of the article, and the ability to easily bookmark articles for future use.
Games (Reign of Swords, Aurora Feint, Fieldrunners)
Reign of Swords is a strategy-RPG somewhere in between Advance Wars and Fire Emblem. It's a bit sparse on sound effects and audio, but otherwise a good way to kill time.
Aurora Feint is 100% free, and absolutely worth a download. I'm not even going to go into describing it, because if you're too lazy to download a good free game, you don't deserve any more explanation.
Fieldrunners is a very well thought out tower defense game. Currently there are three maps and several modes and difficulties for each map. While the game runs $4.99, the author provides regular updates and the production on the game is that of a DS or PSP game.
MLB At Bat Lite (MLB scores, standings)
Soon to be upgraded to the full version for $9.99. This free version offers up to the minute scoring and standings for every MLB team. You can view runners on base, strikes, balls, etc during a live game. In the full version, you have access to a more elaborate game channel view, as well as the ability to listen to the entire radio broadcast as it's taking place and view video highlights. The $9.99 lasts for the entire season, all the way up through the World Series.
There are a few apps off of my home screens that I did not cover; trust me, I use them. I encourage everyone to browse through the app store and see what catches their eye. While most of my use of the iPhone comes from actual productivity, I know an equal number of people who use apps that fart :p. Of course what I didn't mention in this post is the insane amount of time I spend in the Safari and Mail apps. I obviously also make great use of the iPod app for music, podcasts, and movies. Especially on those 45 minute nightly walks with Link.
This device is literally my most used piece of electronics ever. I would honestly be lost without it, and hope that day never comes, lol. Thanks for reading.
i.TV is handy for ghetto TVs that have no cable box or DVR. I believe it has some TiVo functionality to it, but since I don't have one, that's a moot point for me. It's not an essential app by any means, but is put together well nonetheless.
Truveo (Video)
A recent app that I found, Truveo links directly into AOL's video aggregating site of the same name. The cool little app lets you search multiple services and view videos including entire TV shows and full length movies. Definitely an awesome alternative to sideloading your own content before heading out, or purchasing content from the iTunes store. The interface is a bit buggy, but I expect that it will continue to improve with new versions.Lose It! (Health & Fitness)
A very nice little app (and free!) that lets you track your daily food intake and exercises. You can see data daily or weekly by graph form. It also includes nutrients to help you see if you're hitting your goals on daily splits (eg. 40 protein/20 fat/20 carbs). The interface is intuitive and the program includes a very nice sized database of generic, name brand, and restaurant foods. Definitely a must have app for anyone who wants the benefits of keeping a journal without lugging a binder around with them everywhere.Google Reader (RSS reader)
This is almost cheating since this app is just a link on my home screen to a Google web app. That said, Google Reader has been my favorite RSS reader for years now. Using the desktop version you can customize categories, tags, and subscriptions. The mobile version is a little less featured than that, but still offers the ability to read stories with images in line, mark favorites for sharing, email, and more. The best part is that since it's synced with Google, your unread items are kept to date whether you access from the desktop or the iPhone. No going back and forth between separate applications on different devices.SplashID (password vault)
Unfortunately this is all I can show you of my SplashID app, but there is a ton more information and screenshots here. I've been using this program since way back during the Visor/Palm OS days. With so many logins to websites for everything from forums to phone bills, it's an absolutely essential app for me. This is especially true these days as websites are starting to require increasingly complex passwords to guard against hackers. At $9.95 the app is a bit on the pricey side, but it is by far the best utility out there both for managing the information and keeping it secure. Truly an app I could not live without.Wikipanion (Wikipedia access)
There are several apps out there for accessing Wikipedia, and Wikipanion is my favorite. While you could just open up Safari and go to Wikipedia, that option doesn't offer the luxuries of being formatted for the iPhone's screen, quick access to each section of the article, and the ability to easily bookmark articles for future use.Games (Reign of Swords, Aurora Feint, Fieldrunners)
Reign of Swords is a strategy-RPG somewhere in between Advance Wars and Fire Emblem. It's a bit sparse on sound effects and audio, but otherwise a good way to kill time.
Aurora Feint is 100% free, and absolutely worth a download. I'm not even going to go into describing it, because if you're too lazy to download a good free game, you don't deserve any more explanation.
Fieldrunners is a very well thought out tower defense game. Currently there are three maps and several modes and difficulties for each map. While the game runs $4.99, the author provides regular updates and the production on the game is that of a DS or PSP game.
MLB At Bat Lite (MLB scores, standings)
Soon to be upgraded to the full version for $9.99. This free version offers up to the minute scoring and standings for every MLB team. You can view runners on base, strikes, balls, etc during a live game. In the full version, you have access to a more elaborate game channel view, as well as the ability to listen to the entire radio broadcast as it's taking place and view video highlights. The $9.99 lasts for the entire season, all the way up through the World Series.There are a few apps off of my home screens that I did not cover; trust me, I use them. I encourage everyone to browse through the app store and see what catches their eye. While most of my use of the iPhone comes from actual productivity, I know an equal number of people who use apps that fart :p. Of course what I didn't mention in this post is the insane amount of time I spend in the Safari and Mail apps. I obviously also make great use of the iPod app for music, podcasts, and movies. Especially on those 45 minute nightly walks with Link.
This device is literally my most used piece of electronics ever. I would honestly be lost without it, and hope that day never comes, lol. Thanks for reading.
