I understand that developers want to distinguish iPad apps from their equivalent iPod offerings, but I don’t think “HD” is the best method. It’s got a specific definition — high definition video has one or two million pixels per frame — that the iPad doesn’t meet.
It’s logical to assume that one could tack “iPad” or “For iPad” onto their titles, but Apple only recently ruled on how “iPad” may be used. Developers who have been hard at work for weeks had to make a decision before getting their apps in for review. Do you submit an app called, for example, “Plants vs. Zombies iPad” or “Flight Control for iPad” only to have Apple send it back at the last minute?
Additionally, what if a future iPad model is capable of high definition playback? Is your app then “HD Plus?” I think “XL” or something similar would have been better. I know I’m being nit-picky, but I wish “HD” hadn’t been used.
The folks at Overcommitted have made the official iPhone app for Highrise. It’s simple and effective, as one would expect any 37signals product to be. I like that the app’s main toolbar matches itself to the color scheme you’re using with the browser-based version. They’ve also made the initial synchronization fun, but I won’t give away how.
Highrise lets you manage communications you’ve had with contacts and customers as well as tasks and appointments. I’ve been a happy customer for years. Look for my review at TUAW this week.
Shawn Blanc imagines that the experience of using a social app like Gowalla improves as more people you know become users:
Perhaps part of Gowalla’s usefulness being lost on me has to do with the fact that I only have a handful of friends with iPhones, and of them, only a couple were nerdy enough to sign up for it.
I can confirm that he’s right from first-hand experience. I live in a town of 4,000 people. Some of them use iPhones, and even fewer use apps like Gowalla. In fact, I’ve never met most of the Gowalla users I follow and they all live hundreds of miles away.
However, when I was in San Francisco for Macworld Expo, the experience was entirely different. Gowalla became a useful way to find the people I intended to meet up with. If I hadn’t had that experience, I wouldn’t see it as anything other than a fun but ultimately useless toy.
If you saw my earlier post about determining which apps will live on my iPhone’s home screen, Survivor-style, you might be wondering where the result post is. It was initially delayed by Macworld Expo (note to self: Don’t start a project prior to leaving the state for a week), but now I’m ready for the reveal. And the exciting follow-up announcement.
I’m very happy to announce that it’s at First & 20. I’m thrilled to be a part of that project. So … go see who won!
There’s an interesting article at The New York Times today which states that most iPhone owners only use 5-10 apps with any regularity.
I’ve noticed the same behavior in myself. My iPhone has pages of apps (iTunes even more), but I don’t use most of them. So, this week I’m going to identify my most popular apps and vote the rest off the island.
Introducing iPhone Survivor. For one week, I’ll note each app I use and how often I use them. At the end of the week, they’ll be sorted on my iPhone by frequency (the most popular app in the upper left-hand corner and working down from there), while the apps that remain unused get deleted.
With the App Store, Apple has mastered the art of the impulse purchase. Much like the candy that’s displayed at a toddler’s eye level at the supermarket checkout counter, those shiny iPhone apps are right at your fingertips whenever you have a spare moment to flick around. “Only a dollar … why not?”
Last summer I listed the apps I’ve paid for but don’t use, and today I’m doing the opposite. Here are the 12 apps that I use every day without fail. Each has won a coveted spot on my iPhone’s home screen.
Messages (free, Apple, Inc.) From push notifications to quick chats with my sisters, text messaging has become a part of my life. At first I thought the notion was ridiculous. Sending text messages with a phone? It’s a phone. That’s like dipping a typewriter into an inkwell and using it as a quill. But now I get it. Some things are just faster and not worth the time or cost of a phone call. Call me a convert. 4real.
Calendar (free, Apple Inc.) My wife keeps this updated with our family schedules and MobileMe syncs it to all of our devices flawlessly. It’s a must in our family.
Photos (free, Apple, Inc). I mentioned the kids, right? That means ridiculous amounts of photos and video. But that’s not all. I’ve used it and Camera, my next selection, to remember where I’ve parked in a large garage, send photos of business cards to myself, send photos of receipts and ask, “Is this the [product photo here] I’m supposed to buy?” via SMS.
Outside ($2.99 with optional in-app purchases, Robocat) As a New Englander, I’m obsessed with driving directions and weather. Outside runs laps around Apple’s Weather app with a beautiful UI, push notifications, great-looking animations and an overall sense of fun. A blizzard? Yippee! Look at how cute that animation is!
Maps (free, Apple, Inc.) This is the iPhone’s wonder app. Let’s say you’re in the middle of Nowhere, Maine and you want to find some coffee. Open maps, locate yourself with GPS, enter “Coffee” into the search field you’re on the phone and driving to a great little shop that you didn’t know existed 20 seconds prior. I recently drove from Boston to Valley Forge, Pa using only the Maps app and it was flawless. I think it’s powered by magic. Or GPS. Either one.
Birdhouse ($1.99, Adam Lisagor & Cameron Hunt) In all honesty, when this app was released I thought it was a practical joke. “A Twitter app for writers? They’re kidding, right?” Now I get it. I tend to be a bit verbose on Twitter, and posting every random thought that my brain fires up into Birdhouse before inflicting it upon my followers is a handy little buffer. Plus, it does offer a chance to re-write something that frankly could use it. My Birdhouse is always packed with several chambered tweets, ready to fire.
Twitterrific Premium ($4.99, The Iconfactory) Still my iPhone Twitter app of choice. It’s beautiful, well-executed, supports multiple accounts and frankly does everything I need in a manner that I enjoy. Use it, love it.
Daylite Touch ($49.99 per year, Marketcircle) The mobile companion to the powerful Daylite for the Mac is the one app out of all of these that I couldn’t go a day without. Between TUAW and my other gigs I have a lot going on and Daylite Touch lets me manage all of them elegantly. It’s very powerful and the back end server app runs beautifully on a G4 iMac in my basement. Before you balk at the price know that I was paying that in two months time with Basecamp. Just like its sibling Billings Touch, Daylite touch is fantastic. I can’t say enough good about it.
iTunes and App Store (Free, Apple, Inc.) are self-explanatory and got me into this mess to begin with.
CNN Mobile (Free, CNN) Regardless of your opinion of the Cable News Network, you must admit that this app is very well done. The news is timely, navigation is clear, the app is snappy and the streaming video is the clincher. I actually watched the balloon boy saga unfold on my iPhone. Plus you can sign up for keyword alerts, push notifications and even submit your own photos, videos and stories. I love it.
Facebook (Free, Facebook) Yeah, it’s Facebook. But this app is well done.
Pastebot ($2.99, Tapbots) It’s a clipboard manager for the iPhone but so much more. Enable wireless sync with a Mac and you’ve got super-easy photo transfer, a clipboard history from your Mac and more. I use it to hold boilerplate text that’s now a tap away. Want to insert it into an email message? Click “Send to Mac” and you’re done. Like all of the Tapbot apps, Pastebot is gorgeous and downright useful. You need to own it.
Trip Cubby ($6.99, App Cubby) My job (and Uncle Sam) requires me to keep close tabs on mileage. Trip Cubby makes recording my trips simple and fun, and version 2 improves upon a winner.
To get started, add a new trip and fill in your destination, purpose, any tags you’d like and so on. Designate a vehicle and its starting odometer reading. You can also categorize a trip (business, charity, etc.) and add relevant notes (tip: Add frequent trips to favorites for future reference).
From there, click done and you’re off! Once you arrive, select your trip again, enter the final odometer reading and click Done. Trip Cubby assumes a mileage rate of $0.550, but you’re free to change that if need be.
Here’s where it gets good. You can sync all of your data online at App Cubby, should you lose anything. Also, you can mail all of your data to yourself from within the app as a CSV (a HUGE time saver at tax time). Typically I’m a pen-and-paper guy, but Trip Cubby has replaced the notebook in my glovebox. I absolutely rely on it.
There are more than 15,ooo apps in the App Store. I’ve tried many, reviewed even more at TUAW and kept a few. Here are those few.
We’re going to explore these by page. That is to say, I’ll first write about the (non-Apple) apps that live on my iPhone’s home page. Next, the apps on page 2, and so on.
Once that’s complete, I’ll list the apps that are on the verge of getting cut and finally the ones I paid for but no longer use.
