Archive for category iPhone 3G Native Apps

XRoad G-Map GPS iPhone App Reviewed

If you’ve got an iPhone but don’t want to shell out the cash for a Garmin or Tom-Tom GPS navigation unit, you may want to take a look at the XRoad G-Map apps. The Kicking Tires auto blog recently reviewed the XRoad G-Map US West ($19.99, iTunes link) and US East ($19.99, iTunes link) apps, using the same review criteria they would for a Garmin or Tom-Tom device. Overall, they found the apps to be a good value, noting some lacking features and assigning them an overall rating of 80 out of 100.

Due to the size of the apps–almost 900MB–they had to be split into two separate applications. It may leave Midwesterners out in the cold, as Illinois is split in half. It also lacks voice navigation, an important feature for anyone who doesn’t want to take their eyes off the road.

In terms of maps and directions, Kicking Tires found that XRoad delivered some impressive performance:

Very clear, accurate and understandable directions were displayed on the screen. Best of all, when coming to a highway interchange G-Map displays a 3-D rendering of it. In all the GPS systems I have used, I have never seen such an accurate depiction of the road. In a few instances, this was able to route me into the lane I needed to be in to head the right direction, averting one of those scary moments you sometimes encounter when traveling somewhere new.

They also liked the accuracy of the iPhone’s GPS:

This app is as accurate as the iPhone can be, and therefore it’s just as good as most TomTom and Garmin units I’ve tested, but not in line with automakers’ own navigation systems

At only $20 a piece, the apps provide a pretty good value over buying a separate navigation device. But there are a few other downsides noted in the review, such as some missing street names and lack of integration with the iPhone’s address book.

Links:

Review of XRoad G-Maps at KickingTires.

Official XRoad G-Maps website.

Download XRoad G-Map US East in iTunes.

Download XRoad G-Map US Westin iTunes.

iPhone Wikipedia Apps Reviewed

Wikipedia Logo 2

The good folks over at iLounge took a look at 16 Wikipedia apps available for the iPhone. Their top picks were Wikipanion (free) and its pay verison Wikipanion Plus ($4.99). The free version brings a large feature set, including

  • Bookmarking, including bookmarking of specific sections of articles
  • Organization of bookmarks into folders
  • Table of contents for each article available with a tap at the bottom of the screen
  • Related articles availabe with a tap at the bottom of the screen
  • iPhone-optimized viewing of articles
  • Opening of external links in Mobile Safari
  • Ability to search for text within the article
  • Adjusting of font size
  • Locking of orientation (good for browsing while lying down)

The pay version, Wikipanion Plus, is for the more serious Wikipedia user who wants to save and view articles offline. It offers queuing and offline browsing. The queuing allows you to tap on links to articles in search results. The articles will begin downloading in the background as you continue your search. Any article can be downloaded fully for access later.

Here’s a look at all of the Wikipedia iPhone apps iLounge took a look at:

Name Price Grade Download
Wikipanion Free A Wikipanion
Wikipanion Plus $4.99 A Wikipanion Plus
Wikiamo Free A- Wikiamo
Eureka Free B+ Eureka
Wiki Tap Free B Wiki Tap - Wikipedia and Dictionary (Annotated with Videos)
Quickpedia Free B- Quickpedia
Kiwi $0.99 C+ Kiwi
Wapedia Free C Wapedia - mobile Wiki
InfoPedia $1.99 C Infopedia
Qwikipedia Free C- Qwikipedia
WikiPDA $0.99 C- WikiPDA
Encyclopedia $7.99 D Encyclopedia
Look Up Wikipedia $2.99 D Look Up Wikipedia
GeoPedia Free NR GeoPedia
Next Wiki $2.99 NR Next Wiki
WikiME $0.99 NR WikiMe

BdEmailer: Controversial Landscape Email App

BdEmailer Landscape Email for iPhone

Previously, we’ve taken a look a two apps that offer landscape email typing: Firemail and TouchType. BdEmailer ($0.99) offers similar functionality but with one added feature: the ability to send email directly from the app.

For those who send lots of email with the iPhone, BdEmailer might be a better choice over competing apps because it offers fewer taps to send an email. The other landscape email apps require you to send the text to the iPhone’s Mail client before sending the email.

BdEmailer SMTP Email Settings

Some say the approval of BdEmailer by Apple is controversial because Apple is contradicting its own rule of not allowing apps that offer redundant functionality of the iPhone’s built-in apps. I would counter that even before there were third-party apps on the iPhone, you can send emails through various webapps, including iPhone-friendly Gmail.com. Perhaps it is the storing of incoming email on the iPhone that worries Apple most because of the possible security risk.

Nevertheless, BdEmailer offers some interesting functionality for heavy emailers. It is available now in the iTunes App Store for $0.99 (download).

Weezer’s “Troublemaker” Added to Tap Tap Revenge

Tap Tap Revenge iPhone

The song “Troublemaker” from Weezer’s latest Red Album is now available as a free download in the Tap Tap Revenge (free) game for the iPhone.

There are also other free tracks from other major label bands, including “Hot N Cold” from Katy Perry and “You’re Gonna Go Far, Kid” from the Offspring.

It looks like Tap Tap Revenge is turning into a solid promotion tool for bands. Check it out for free in the iTunes app store. Tap Tap Revenge

Rock Out With a Pan Flute iPhone App

Pan flutes are perhaps the most underrated rock instruments of all time. For the uninitiated, the Ocarina ($0.99, download) app is now available in the iTunes app store.

Ok, so the app is physically not like a pan flute at all. But it sure sounds like one, and the spirit is the same. You blow into the iPhone’s microphone to produce sound and tap and hold buttons on the screen to change notes. It actually works really well. At $0.99, it’s worth checking out for its novelty.

The Ocarina website has some tablatures for playing some classic songs. Check out one for “Twinkle Twinkle Little Star” below, and free the rock from within. Hopefully we’ll see more tabs in the future.

Twinkle Twinkle

Ocarina is a 99-cent download in the iTunes App Store.

Pan Flute

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WunderRadio Brings Thousands of Radio Stations to the iPhone

WunderRadio iPhone App 2

There are several radio apps for the iPhone, both free and pay, but WunderRadio ($6.99) is currently the best of the bunch. It offers a massive collection of radio stations (thousands according to its official app description) and also weather radio stations from Weather Underground and local emergency scanners from ScanAmerica.us.

WunderRadio gets its terrestrial radio feeds from RadioTime, which features thousands of US radio stations as well as stations from around the world (I enjoy the London, England stations). You can check out the RadioTime website to see the stations you’ll have access to and give them a listen before you buy.

WunderRadio Basic Menu View on iPhone

The app uses the iPhone’s location hardware (GPS and cell tower) to pull up a list of local radio stations. For me, it brought up dozens of local Chicago stations, many I didn’t know existed. (The location awareness works with the original iPhone as well).

Sports Radio on the iPhone via WunderRadio

Emergency Scanners on the iPhone via WunderRadio

WunderRadio also features weather stations and emergency scanners. The Chicago scanner stations had the Chicago fire department and the northern suburban police (no city police though. Also, there are no NYC emergency channels, which would have been interesting). To browse the list of available scanners, check out ScanAmerica.us.

There are also some nice touches. The list of stations displays the name of the current radio show playing (eg, All Things Considered, America’s Top 40 with Ryan Seacrest, Rush Limbaugh, etc.). The list of stations also displays a symbol for EDGE, 3G, or WiFi to let you know what stations are available for your connection. The bitrate is also shown.

My biggest complaint about the app is that it requires a strong connection to work properly. Anything less than 4 bars on EDGE and stations will not play. So if you’d like to use the app to listen to radio at work, you should confirm your signal strength first before you buy. I compared WunderRadio’s ability to overcome poor signal strength against the AOL Radio app, and it basically failed while the AOL Radio app performed admirably. Perhaps future updates will enhance the app’s buffering capabilities.

Pros: Massive collection of radio stations from the US and around the world, some available in very high bitrates. Offers a good amount of information, including names of currently playing shows and a sound-level meter. Multiple bitrates available for some stations. Weather stations and emergency scanners.

Cons: Requires a good signal for flawless play. Costs $6.99.

  • Name: WunderRadio
  • Developer: Weather Underground
  • Version reviewed: 1.1
  • Price: $6.99
  • iTunes Download: WunderRadio

RunKeeper Exercise Tracking App Now Free in App Store

RunKeeper iPhone Running app

RunKeeper, formerly $9.99, is now free in the app store. RunKeeper is an exercise app for the iPhone 3G that keeps track of GPS data for outdoor fitness activities and syncs them with the RunKeeper.com website. You can check out your run on a map later along with other stats.

While you run (or bike, hike, etc), Runkeeper will track:

  • duration of the run
  • distance
  • pace
  • speed
  • total rise
  • altitude versus speed
  • path on a map

RunKeeper 2

httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SKuJtGKL9-8

  • Name: RunKeeper
  • Developer: Raizlabs Corporation
  • Price: Free
  • iTunes Download: Click here

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Fast Add!: Free iPhone App That Adds Contacts Quicker

Contacts Fast Add Free iPhone App

Fast Add! (free, iTunes Link) adds basic contact information to your iPhone contacts very quickly. It adds first and last name and phone number with just a few taps, much quicker than the iPhone’s default method.

Open the app and three fields appear: first name, last name, and phone number. Fill them out and tap Add Contact and that’s it, your contact has been added to your iPhone contacts list.

Fast Add of Anne

Anne Hathaway in my contacts. Thanks Fast Add!

The iPhone’s default contacts app is much slower because it requires you to open the app, tap a plus sign, tap Name, enter the name, tap Save, tap Phone Number, tap Save, etc.

Fast Add Edit View Gives Full Editing Functionality

If you make a mistake or want to add more information, tap Edit and you have full contact editing capabilities that match the iPhone’s contact app, including the ability to add a photo, email, postal address, ringtone, etc.

Name: Fast Add!
Developer: Carlos Perez
Price: Free
iTunes Link: Fast Add!

WeatherBug: Free iPhone Weather App

WeatherBUg for iPhone Conditions View

WeatherBug (free) delivers more detailed weather information than the iPhone’s default weather app. It delivers three types of information: Conditions, Radar, and Cameras. Conditions (shown above) displays the day’s weather stats, including:

  • Current temperature
  • High and Low temperature
  • Rainfall measurement
  • Wind speed
  • Wind direction
  • Heat index
  • Humidity
  • Dew point
  • Weather alerts

It also shows a quick three-day forecast. Tap any of the three days to get a brief but detailed forecast for the day.

Today’s Weather Forecast on WeatherBug iPhone App

WeatherBug Radar View

The Radar view displays radar images of weather conditions. You can save up to three cities for quick browsing of radar maps.

WeatherBug Cameras view

The Cameras view shows live still pictures pulled from webcams from various locations. If you’re stuck in a building with no windows, this can come in handy to see if the skies are clear or not. Why walk outside when you can watch a webcam instead? That’s modern living. You can save up to three camera locations for quick viewing.

Name: WeatherBug
Developer: AWS Convergence Technologies
Price: Free
iTunes Download: Click here

Touchtype Brings Landscape (Widescreen) Email Typing to the iPhone

Touchtype Widescreen Landscape Email Typing

Touchtype ($0.99) is a simple but incredibly useful app that allows you to write emails in landscape mode. Typing with the iPhone’s keyboard in landscape is much, much more comfortable than the default portrait mode. The keys are larger and have more space between them. This is a basic feature I hope Apple will get around to adding to the iPhone.

It’s simple and easy to use. Launch Touchtype, turn the iPhone on its side and begin typing. When you are finished, tap the icon in the top right corner and it will launch the iPhone’s email app with your text in the body of the email.

Touchtype Send To

From there you can add the address, subject, and change the “From:” field if you have multiple email accounts.

Touchtype Text sent to an email

Touchtype also allows you to reply to emails. Hit the reply button while viewing an email in the iPhone’s email app. Hit the home button, then launch Touchtype. Write the message, hit the button in the top right, and your text will be placed in the body of the reply email.

Touchtype is a must-have app if you do a lot of emailing.

  • Name: Touchtype
  • Developer: Michael Schneider
  • Version reviewed: 1.0
  • Price: $0.99
  • iTunes Download: Click here