The App Store
Written on October 20, 2008 by Katherine W. Prawl
OK, I confess. I’m having way too much fun with the iTunes iPhone App Store. So far I have no fewer than 85 apps (mini applications that are free or cost just a few dollars) on my phone. That does not include the four or five I’ve decided are simply lame and have deleted.
Here’s my list (not complete):
- Stitcher, a podcast streamer
- Facebook Mobile, for updating and reading the social networking site on the go. My name on the site is Katherine W. Prawl if you want to follow or friend me there.
- WordPress Mobile, which I’m using to post this blog entry since we are on the road and I refuse to pay the local highway robbery prices for slow, spotty WiFi when I can do most online stuff with my iPhone for no more than I already pay for AT&T mobile data service
- Mobile NOAA, for top-drawer, complete local weather info while we’re traveling
- Mobile Finder, which lets me access my desktop computer’s files as long as we’re on the same local network. While we are away from our own home router, I just use MacOS X’s “create a network” function on my computer’s built-in Airport card and connect to it from the iphone. Yes, I do use a password when we are in RV parks or rest areas. You never know who might be in the next vehicle! Anyway, with this app I can copy small files to my iPhone and even edit some formats, such as text, spreadsheets, PDF, graphics, audio and video. It’s great for annotated maps.
- Last.fm, an Internet radio provider that works even on the EDGE network when WiFi isn’t available. It uses AI to serve up songs you might be expected to like based on artists, titles or genres you request
- SpeakEasy, a sound clip recording app that uses the iPhone’s mic
- three different eBook readers, including the top-rated Bookshelf. They each will read different formats and offer various features.
- a slew of location-sensitive travel aids such as Taxi for displaying the names and phone numbers of cab companies available in my current location
- three or four games
- a number of reference apps, like Mobile Wikipedia and a copy of the Quran in translation
- several tools that use the iPhone’s screen, such as a level (which also uses the built-in accelerometer to sense the phone’s position), a flashlight and a ruler
So, you can see that I really do get a lot of use out of this marvelous toy. Thank goodness fir the 12-volt outlet and power inverter at the passenger’s seat in the RV for plugging in the wall recharger!
