Best iPhone/iPod Apps

[Uncle Ted]

Thanks. Without an upgrade, the price for the 16BG is $649 and the 32GB is $749. lol. Carriers really have consumers by the nuts when it comes to buying a new phone.

IMO, the only reason to buy one of the above is to have an unlocked iPhone. Of course, it really only makes sense to get a GSM iPhone (AT&T) so you can use it in europe, etc. with pre-paid SIMs.

[Uncle Ted]

Why Google and Microsoft Hate Siri

[...]

But the real reason these two companies hate Siri is because of what it will become in the very near future. In case you haven’t noticed it yet, Siri’s voice technology is actually a front to some major databases, such as Yelp, Wolfram Alpha and Siri’s own very broad database. But what it is really doing is serving as the entry point for searching these databases. So, I can ask Siri to find me the closest pizza joint and it quickly links me to Yelp, then to Google maps. On the surface this might look good for Google and Yelp since it ties them to these third-party sites that get the advertising revenue from this search. But what if Apple owned their own restaurant recommendation service and mapping system? They could divert all of these ad revenues to themselves. Here is an obvious prediction then if that is the case. How long do you think it is before Apple buys Yelp or Open Table and MapQuest or a similar available mapping service?

How about searching for autos? Ask Siri where the closest BMW dealers are. It comes back and shows you the three or four BMW dealers within a 25 mile radius on a Google Map. But what if it could also tie you to Edmund’s database and instantly give you ratings of their cars, and dealers running specials? Or perhaps you are looking for an apartment in Hoboken? Ask Siri about available apartments in Hoboken and someday it could perhaps link you to Apartment Finder and while they might not need to own this database, Apartment finder would be Siri’s preferred first site to “search” for apartments and Apple would get a share in ad revenue from these searches.

Indeed, it is pretty clear to me that Apple has just scratched the surface of the role Siri will play for them in driving future revenue. At the moment, we are enamored with its ability to enhance the man-machine interface. But that is just the start. Siri is actually on track to become the first point of entrance to “search” engines of all types tied to major databases throughout the world. And it will become the gatekeeper to all types of searches and in the end control what search engine it goes to for its answers.

The ghost of Steve Jobs may be haunting Google.

[Jeff Lebowski]

Why Google and Microsoft Hate Siri



The ghost of Steve Jobs may be haunting Google.

I think that is spot on. Interesting times.

[Jeff Lebowski]

Update on iPhone 4S:

-Battery life is awful. Can't get through an entire day with basic use. Sometimes dies in 4-5 hours.
-When you download photos taken on phone to computer, they are upside down (most of them). When you try to rotate them you get an error message. Apparently, the metadata is corrupt.

Both issues are widely reported. Hopefully, both can be fixed with a software upgrade.

Uncle Ted, you might want to think twice about switching to Sprint. Coverage in Dallas is terrible.

[TripletDaddy]

Doesnt sound like the software update will fix the battery life.

MMM wants to switch to the 4S. Maybe I should tell her to wait. 4-5 hr battery life sounds awful. No way that is to spec. I thought they tested that thing to up to 10+ hours of active use? Don't you tether your phone though and use it for wi-fi everywhere you go? That must really drain the juice.

[falafel]

Doesnt sound like the software update will fix the battery life.

MMM wants to switch to the 4S. Maybe I should tell her to wait. 4-5 hr battery life sounds awful. No way that is to spec. I thought they tested that thing to up to 10+ hours of active use? Don't you tether your phone though and use it for wi-fi everywhere you go? That must really drain the juice.

I doubt he's tethering his brand new iphone, unless he's jailbroken it.

I recently upgraded my EVO to gingerbread and I noticed substantial improvement in the battery life. At least 3-4 hours more than before.

[Jeff Lebowski]

Doesnt sound like the software update will fix the battery life.

MMM wants to switch to the 4S. Maybe I should tell her to wait. 4-5 hr battery life sounds awful. No way that is to spec. I thought they tested that thing to up to 10+ hours of active use? Don't you tether your phone though and use it for wi-fi everywhere you go? That must really drain the juice.

Software tweaks can make a huge difference with battery life. I have seen it before when switching ROMs with my Android phone. Same hardware, dramatically different battery life (often with no loss or an actual increase in performance). No way the new iphone should be getting that poor of performance.

I don't tether my iPhone as I haven't done the jailbreak thing (yet). I did use some GPS navigation, but not enough to make that big of a difference. It has to be a bug. For example:

http://www.guardian.co.uk/technology...newsfeed=trueh

[Donuthole]

Software tweaks can make a huge difference with battery life. I have seen it before when switching ROMs with my Android phone. Same hardware, dramatically different battery life (often with no loss or an actual increase in performance). No way the new iphone should be getting that poor of performance.

I don't tether my iPhone as I haven't done the jailbreak thing (yet). I did use some GPS navigation, but not enough to make that big of a difference. It has to be a bug. For example:

http://www.guardian.co.uk/technology...newsfeed=trueh

Wouldn't that affect the battery life of any iPhone upgraded to iO5? I haven't noticed any difference since upgrading a couple weeks ago.

[TripletDaddy]

I doubt he's tethering his brand new iphone, unless he's jailbroken it.

I recently upgraded my EVO to gingerbread and I noticed substantial improvement in the battery life. At least 3-4 hours more than before.

that sounds like a delicious upgrade. very resourceful of you.

[Donuthole]

What is the best whiteboard/drawing app? I have a free one I think is pretty crappy, and my kids keep tapping on the ads when they play with it. Is there one that allows the insertion of shapes, and with fill modes (a la microsoft paint)?

[TripletDaddy]

What is the best whiteboard/drawing app? I have a free one I think is pretty crappy, and my kids keep tapping on the ads when they play with it. Is there one that allows the insertion of shapes, and with fill modes (a la microsoft paint)?

Check out Drawing Pad. It isnt free, but pretty cheap. Puffy Check loves it. A go-to Sacrament meeting gem. Adios to bringing crayons and stuff to Church anymore. You can choose backgrounds, different types of drawing utensils (crayon, pencil, marker, paint, etc), clip art, effects, etc. You can save your drawings, email them, post them to facebook, etc. I really like it, one of my most used apps for the chilluns.

EDIT: just checked. $1.99. Definitely worth it.

[Jeff Lebowski]

Wouldn't that affect the battery life of any iPhone upgraded to iO5? I haven't noticed any difference since upgrading a couple weeks ago.

Sounds like it is only affecting a subset of the iOS 5 users for some reason. More evidence that it is a software bug.

[TripletDaddy]

Another cheap but fun game app...Stupid Zombies. Seems like this zombie craze wont die (swish) and this one is a fun twist on the standard physics games that are quite popular. Costs 99 centavos. Another nice way to spend some time on a conference call, funeral, Mass, temple session, wedding night, etc...

[Donuthole]

Check out Drawing Pad. It isnt free, but pretty cheap. Puffy Check loves it. A go-to Sacrament meeting gem. Adios to bringing crayons and stuff to Church anymore. You can choose backgrounds, different types of drawing utensils (crayon, pencil, marker, paint, etc), clip art, effects, etc. You can save your drawings, email them, post them to facebook, etc. I really like it, one of my most used apps for the chilluns.

EDIT: just checked. $1.99. Definitely worth it.

There are a couple different ones. Drawing Pad' by Infamous Media is $0.99 while Magid Drawing Pad by One Result Ltd. is $1.99. Is it one of those?

[TripletDaddy]

There are a couple different ones. Drawing Pad' by Infamous Media is $0.99 while Magid Drawing Pad by One Result Ltd. is $1.99. Is it one of those?

It is called "Drawing Pad" for 1.99 by Darren Murtha Design.

The icon is a set of brushes, pens and pencils.