Thread: iPhone / Android -- what's your apps?

The new generation of smartphones, realistically, should be call appPhones. They are no longer defined as being 'smart' (they are all equally smart), but they set themselves apart by having a thriving apps ecosystem (or, trying to do so).

As such, most iPhone or Android users have a favorite set of apps they use either daily, for distraction, or for occasional utility - some even just for goofing off.

Here's for a starter, my list of my favorite apps on my iPhone right now. What's on your appPhone?

Acrobits Softphone : configured for my home VOIP pbx system, it extends my extension to iPhone, and allows me to place VOIP calls from anywhere via my own system, appearing to come from my home number. Plus, outgoing calls are 1 cent a minute.

TRUphone : similar to the above, but a more commercial product. Top up your account, and make calls at 6 cents a minute to most countries. I used that one before I found Softphone above.

Pandora Radio : Internet radio, your way. Pick an artist, or a style, and Pandora will play just your style of music. Rare commercials, which you can eliminate by subscribing. Once iOS 4 is released, will be multitasking supported, so can listen to Pandora while doing anything else, playing in the background.

Pro HDR : Let's you take two pictures with iPhone, one dark and one bright, and combine them into an HDR (High Dynamic Range) picture. Properly applied, brings out can make your pictures snap nicely.

VideoPano : usually, creating a panorama requires taking a bunch of still, making sure they are aligned with overlap, to make it fit. VideoPanorama makes it easy - just take a video while sweeping over the scene left to right, and the app does the rest.

AutoStitch : same thing, except you can take a bunch of stills, and just make sure they kinda overlap. The app takes care of the rest, matching overlaping features in the scene. The final panoramas are higher resolution than the VideoPanorama.

ShakeItPhoto : remember Polaroid. Snap, Zzzzzzzswish, and shake it to develop the picture? This simulates that experience, down to the classic dynamic range and colors of the Polaroid.

Pac Man : yep, that same Namco game, classic of the 80s. iPad version too.

Pocket God : perfectly cute waste of time. 99 cents well spent.

Beejive IM : Multi-account and multi-protocol IM client. One of the best. Pricey at $10, but works flawlessly, and well worth it, to me.

Comic Touch : Take a picture. Add a comic bubble with text. Presto, you're in the comics.

Pocket Universe : point your camera at the sky, pUniverse will tell you what you're looking at, as you sweep across the sky, the view changes dynamically. Compass and accelerometer, and GPS aware.

SoundHound : Hearing a song on the radio, or a café's music system? Hold SoundHound up to it, and it will tell you what song it is.

WikiTude : Augmented Reality, move your camera around, and it will show you points of interest from wikipedia, overlaid over the video view of your surroundings. Surprisingly works well in many places.

I refuse to partake. My carrier wants another $30us for an Iphone fuck that. Scam.

^ That's why I'm including the cheap Android phones in this list, in case you appear to have a problem reading.

Don't use the photo or video apps much so can't really comment, but there are loads in the Android market.

Games: I like Jewels, bloody infuriating, but I am national champion in my country <heh> And a few card games, checkers, etc.

Soundhound: I use Shazaam. It's also available on the iPhone. Seems many use this in Thailand. Be interesting to see how the two DBs compare. Shazaam finds some really obscure stuff.

Various newspapers/news sources.

Better Alarm.

Google Sky Maps (does what you describe above).

Google Mail.

Handcent SMS.

K9-Mail for one of my POP accounts.

Opera Mini

Voice search (Google searches by voice - I like!)

Astro File Manager and the Bluetooth module (the latter of which I hardly use).

Bars & Clubs which is a great app; must look into adding your own data.

I've got loads of others I installed when I first got it, but after a while the novelty wears off; I need to sit down, spring clean and see what's new.

iCrap

http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/icrap/id335984574?mt=8

Qickdict - Thai-English dictionary, since I am in Thailand very usefull for me
Thai from Profitt ink LLC - Thai learning software
Facebook & Skype - for staying in contact with friends and family
Ibluenova - for datatransfer over bluetooth with other phones than iPhones (not native on the iphone!)
Opera - Browser
Spybot chronicles - Mariostyle jump n run game
Shrek cart - Mariocartstyle car racing game
Global Agent - Cameraapp with zoom, nightmode, antishaking etc.
Google Earth - to look where I am when I awake very mao in a bed I dont know
Photobucket - for work with a forum without photoupload

Cydia-apps (only after Jailbreak):
Activator - launch apps with gestures on the screen/homebutton/volumebuttons
Backgrounder - multitasking for the Iphone 3gs
Bite sms - for reading and writing sms without unlocking the iPhone
Categories - folders for the Iphone3gs
Iblank - create invisible appsymbols (keeping things organized on the screen)
IProtect - passwordprotection for the iPhone
MXTube - Youtube with possibility to save videos on the phone
Mywi - for using my edge/3g network on the pc
Rotation inhibitor - selfexplaining
SBsettings - edge/g3, bluetooth, tethering, wifi, brightness, locations etc. in one window

FFS

With True out in the Suburbs I am lucky if mine can even make a simple phone call.

For me the iPhone is an MP3 player that has cellphone capabilities that I can stick a couple of cheesy (free) games on to keep the nephew entertained.

Main App tether it to my netbook and have real computing power on the move.

Originally Posted by Gerbil

iCrap

http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/icrap/id335984574?mt=8

You paid 99 cents for that?

Wish I had never bought a bloody i-phone.BOUGHT A unlocked version at apple store robina australia.At friends house at Korat he jailbroke it after that put Cydia ,Backgrounder ,kirikae,Meebo, categories,installous and skype most these programs I havent got a clue what they do.But WHAT THEY DO BEST is chew my baht gone from going to the 7/11 every third day to top up 300 baht to 900 a daycan top up just before bed and wake up 300 baht gone and not used it something is chewing it up but i dont know what seeing its not phone call's something must be using the net but the things been like this 2 weeks now so I'll say it's smarter than me any help appreciated

Originally Posted by roadking96cube

Wish I had never bought a bloody i-phone.BOUGHT A unlocked version at apple store robina australia.At friends house at Korat he jailbroke it after that put Cydia ,Backgrounder ,kirikae,Meebo, categories,installous and skype most these programs I havent got a clue what they do.But WHAT THEY DO BEST is chew my baht gone from going to the 7/11 every third day to top up 300 baht to 900 a daycan top up just before bed and wake up 300 baht gone and not used it something is chewing it up but i dont know what seeing its not phone call's something must be using the net but the things been like this 2 weeks now so I'll say it's smarter than me any help appreciated

Most modern smartphones are capable of running network-enabled applications in the background, and the phone companies see this as a cash cow. (Well actually, in the Apple world, a whole fricking herd of them).

It shouldn't be too difficult to work out which applications are doing it and close them (or, if you actually don't know what they are and therefore aren't using them, remove them).

And I'd give your mate a slap for costing you so many beer vouchers.

Originally Posted by roadking96cube

Wish I had never bought a bloody i-phone.BOUGHT A unlocked version at apple store robina australia.At friends house at Korat he jailbroke it after that put Cydia ,Backgrounder ,kirikae,Meebo, categories,installous and skype most these programs I havent got a clue what they do.But WHAT THEY DO BEST is chew my baht gone from going to the 7/11 every third day to top up 300 baht to 900 a daycan top up just before bed and wake up 300 baht gone and not used it something is chewing it up but i dont know what seeing its not phone call's something must be using the net but the things been like this 2 weeks now so I'll say it's smarter than me any help appreciated

I would suggest that your mate is an idiot. Since your iPhone is Apple unlocked, there was no reason to jailbreak it, especially for the jailbroken apps he put on it. Jailbreaks chew through your battery and will unreasonably keep using your connected bandwidth. THAT is what is wearing your iPhone down, not the Apple iPhone.

If you want anyone to blame, point the finger at your moron mate.

Originally Posted by harrybarracuda

Most modern smartphones are capable of running network-enabled applications in the background, and the phone companies see this as a cash cow.

How's this work, if the iPhone plans offered are usually unlimited, or high capacity ones?

Originally Posted by DaffyDuck

Originally Posted by harrybarracuda

Most modern smartphones are capable of running network-enabled applications in the background, and the phone companies see this as a cash cow.

How's this work, if the iPhone plans offered are usually unlimited, or high capacity ones?

See my post in other thread re AT&T dropping unlimited packages...

put the phone in plane/flightmode if you dont know how to use the dataconnection-optionmenue.

I'm addicted to backgammon. Can get three games in while "on the throne" for a quick championship. I even judge what kind of day I'm going to have by the way the dice fall..... I haven't read a magazine in there for ages

Originally Posted by harrybarracuda

Originally Posted by DaffyDuck

Originally Posted by harrybarracuda

Most modern smartphones are capable of running network-enabled applications in the background, and the phone companies see this as a cash cow.

How's this work, if the iPhone plans offered are usually unlimited, or high capacity ones?

See my post in other thread re AT&T dropping unlimited packages...

Originally Posted by DaffyDuck

... or high capacity ones?

Trouble reading, again?

Originally Posted by DaffyDuck

Originally Posted by harrybarracuda

Originally Posted by DaffyDuck

Originally Posted by harrybarracuda

Most modern smartphones are capable of running network-enabled applications in the background, and the phone companies see this as a cash cow.

How's this work, if the iPhone plans offered are usually unlimited, or high capacity ones?

See my post in other thread re AT&T dropping unlimited packages...

Originally Posted by DaffyDuck

... or high capacity ones?

Trouble reading, again?

What the *** is a "high capacity" data plan?

Is it cheap?

Naaah. Didn't think so.

Read my other thread where I said Gay Itards take it up the arse.

Originally Posted by harrybarracuda

Read my other thread where I said Gay Itards take it up the arse.

So, now, lacking the ability to rationally counter any argument, you are completely falling apart, and are left with only ad hominem (not a mexican dish, btw) attacks, and drunken insults. Charming.

Originally Posted by harrybarracuda

What the *** is a "high capacity" data plan?

Is it cheap?

Naaah. Didn't think so.

Depends on how you define 'cheap'.

It might be expensive for someone that needs to save his pennies in order to save up for his daily beers, but leaving all that aside, let's look at comparisons.

You have an Android phone (by your own allegation), so what kind of data plan do you have for it, and how much do you pay for it?

Last time I was in Thailand, I used TRUE's pre-pay plan, with unlimited internet access (and 3G in covered areas) for 600 Baht, which worked really well - and comes out to about $20 in US currency.

The AT&T data plan for an iPhone first generation, unlimited access, has been $20; for an iPhone 3G and 3GS, again unlimited, is $30; current data plans for iPhone 4, are $25 for 2GB of access, with $10 for each additional 1GB. Considering that Sprint and Verizon charge $60 for comparative access, capped at 5GB, that's a reasonable price.

Likewise, I might ask you how much did you pay for your (allegedly cheap) LG Android phone?

So, let's qualify what 'cheap is', in order to qualify what 'not cheap' is, okay?

Originally Posted by DaffyDuck

The new generation of smartphones, realistically, should be call appPhones. They are no longer defined as being 'smart' (they are all equally smart), but they set themselves apart by having a thriving apps ecosystem (or, trying to do so).

As such, most iPhone or Android users have a favorite set of apps they use either daily, for distraction, or for occasional utility - some even just for goofing off.

Here's for a starter, my list of my favorite apps on my iPhone right now. What's on your appPhone?

Acrobits Softphone : configured for my home VOIP pbx system, it extends my extension to iPhone, and allows me to place VOIP calls from anywhere via my own system, appearing to come from my home number. Plus, outgoing calls are 1 cent a minute.

TRUphone : similar to the above, but a more commercial product. Top up your account, and make calls at 6 cents a minute to most countries. I used that one before I found Softphone above.

Pandora Radio : Internet radio, your way. Pick an artist, or a style, and Pandora will play just your style of music. Rare commercials, which you can eliminate by subscribing. Once iOS 4 is released, will be multitasking supported, so can listen to Pandora while doing anything else, playing in the background.

Pro HDR : Let's you take two pictures with iPhone, one dark and one bright, and combine them into an HDR (High Dynamic Range) picture. Properly applied, brings out can make your pictures snap nicely.

VideoPano : usually, creating a panorama requires taking a bunch of still, making sure they are aligned with overlap, to make it fit. VideoPanorama makes it easy - just take a video while sweeping over the scene left to right, and the app does the rest.

AutoStitch : same thing, except you can take a bunch of stills, and just make sure they kinda overlap. The app takes care of the rest, matching overlaping features in the scene. The final panoramas are higher resolution than the VideoPanorama.

ShakeItPhoto : remember Polaroid. Snap, Zzzzzzzswish, and shake it to develop the picture? This simulates that experience, down to the classic dynamic range and colors of the Polaroid.

Pac Man : yep, that same Namco game, classic of the 80s. iPad version too.

Pocket God : perfectly cute waste of time. 99 cents well spent.

Beejive IM : Multi-account and multi-protocol IM client. One of the best. Pricey at $10, but works flawlessly, and well worth it, to me.

Comic Touch : Take a picture. Add a comic bubble with text. Presto, you're in the comics.

Pocket Universe : point your camera at the sky, pUniverse will tell you what you're looking at, as you sweep across the sky, the view changes dynamically. Compass and accelerometer, and GPS aware.

SoundHound : Hearing a song on the radio, or a café's music system? Hold SoundHound up to it, and it will tell you what song it is.

WikiTude : Augmented Reality, move your camera around, and it will show you points of interest from wikipedia, overlaid over the video view of your surroundings. Surprisingly works well in many places.

Know what, I'm guessing you rarely use any of those apps.
(Though I've got to say, sound hound is cool.)
You're a tool, a marketing tool for jobs.
I wonder how many others there are.

You have an Android phone (by your own allegation), so what kind of data plan do you have for it, and how much do you pay for it?

Try and keep up Daffy. I quoted both O2 and Vodafone prices on another thread in which you participated, and told you that for the $1700 you'd spend on your iPhone, I pay (in a country where mobile services are not cheap) around $950.

The phrase I used was "cartel pricing". Remember now? Or do you only have selective amnesia when you don't like the facts in front of you?

So you could buy a decent Android phone and still have money for a netbook or a laptop (heck, even an iPad, not that I'd want one).

Originally Posted by harrybarracuda

Try and keep up Daffy. I quoted both O2 and Vodafone prices on another thread in which you participated, and told you that for the $1700 you'd spend on your iPhone, I pay (in a country where mobile services are not cheap) around $950.

Oh, I am keeping up, probably more than you want me to.

I was just under the impression that instead of staying all homey-centric, that you would actually provide some Thailand based information on that same subject as well, or maybe more polyglot information. I guess not.

So, you claim the iPhone data plan costs $1,700, which is, of course, patently false based on the O2 UK prices I am looking at right.

Feel free to engage at any time, when you don't need to resort to falsehoods and lies.

Toodles!

Just for those keeping track - here's the actual comparison:

O2 UK iPhone plan prices range from £30/mo (100 minutes - 18 months), to £65/mo (unlimited talk - 18 months) - all include unlimited texting and unlimited data & wifi. So, iPhone voice + data plans cost (over 18 months duration) cost from £540 ($1,110) to £1170 ($2,450). At all of those rates, the cost of the iPhone 3GS ranges from £279 to FREE, respectively)

Comparing that to the HTC Desire (which is FREE on O2), with voice and data plans ranging from £28.51, to an unlimited plan for £65/mo.

Cartel Pricing?

The minimum plan is £1.49 cheaper with the Android phone, yet doesn't include unlimited SMS. Both include unlimited internet, yet the Android plan does not include unlimited WiFi. The iPhone plans all do.

The top of the line, unlimited everything plan costs the same £65, yet again the Android plan does not include unlimited Wifi. The iPhone unlimited plan, for the same price, does.

Cartel Pricing? Hardly.

Originally Posted by Dug

Know what, I'm guessing you rarely use any of those apps.

You'd guess wrong.

Acrobits Softphone : constantly when I'm traveling.

TRUphone : read my note ('I used that one before I found Softphone above'). I provided it as an alternative for people that don't have their own PBX voip system.

Pandora Radio : daily, either at work, over lunch, in the car. Now with iOS 4 even more so, as I can have it play in the background, now, and listen to my fave genres.

Pro HDR : I use my iPhone a lot to take pictures, and the HDR app helps me balance out some pictures. 3-4 times a week

VideoPano : there's usually a situation once a week where it comes in handy. Gets a lot more mileage while traveling.

AutoStitch : ditto to the above.

ShakeItPhoto : purely a novelty app, but fun.

Pac Man : I'm not hugely into games. Once every couple of weeks, I get sucked into PacMac. Great game to demo or show off, though.

Pocket God : perfectly cute waste of time. idle time killer.

Beejive IM : daily use.

Comic Touch : novelty app, gets daily use while traveling, though.

Pocket Universe : weekly use. I like astronomy.

SoundHound : daily use.

WikiTude : travel app, so in use while traveling. Mostly to see where it works, and what it all tracks.

Originally Posted by Dug

You're a tool, a marketing tool for jobs.
I wonder how many others there are.

Make a great product, the delivers what it promises, and that's what happens - your customers become your best advertisement.

What you guys don't seem to understand (and, maybe, you resent Apple for that), is that Apple doesn't even make any effort to cater to, or market to you or others in the same boat (including Barracuda on that). Apple caters to non technical people on the consumer end, and provides far easier to use tools to their developers, allowing them to create apps for their products with greater ease than other platforms do.

That's hard to beat.

Originally Posted by DaffyDuck

Originally Posted by harrybarracuda

Try and keep up Daffy. I quoted both O2 and Vodafone prices on another thread in which you participated, and told you that for the $1700 you'd spend on your iPhone, I pay (in a country where mobile services are not cheap) around $950.

Oh, I am keeping up, probably more than you want me to.

I was just under the impression that instead of staying all homey-centric, that you would actually provide some Thailand based information on that same subject as well, or maybe more polyglot information. I guess not.

So, you claim the iPhone data plan costs $1,700, which is, of course, patently false based on the O2 UK prices I am looking at right.

Feel free to engage at any time, when you don't need to resort to falsehoods and lies.

Toodles!

Just for those keeping track - here's the actual comparison:

O2 UK iPhone plan prices range from £30/mo (100 minutes - 18 months), to £65/mo (unlimited talk - 18 months) - all include unlimited texting and unlimited data & wifi. So, iPhone voice + data plans cost (over 18 months duration) cost from £540 ($1,110) to £1170 ($2,450). At all of those rates, the cost of the iPhone 3GS ranges from £279 to FREE, respectively)

Comparing that to the HTC Desire (which is FREE on O2), with voice and data plans ranging from £28.51, to an unlimited plan for £65/mo.

Cartel Pricing?

The minimum plan is £1.49 cheaper with the Android phone, yet doesn't include unlimited SMS. Both include unlimited internet, yet the Android plan does not include unlimited WiFi. The iPhone plans all do.

The top of the line, unlimited everything plan costs the same £65, yet again the Android plan does not include unlimited Wifi. The iPhone unlimited plan, for the same price, does.

Cartel Pricing? Hardly.

Actually I posted both O2 and Vodaphone prices. They may have been revised, but they weren't "lies", Daffy. Lies are things you fabricate.

And you forget the difference. If I don't want to buy the top end HTC Desire (around $550, which explains the high payback costs), I can choose another Android phone.

If you don't want your iPhone 4G you can..... er.... well basically wait until Apple make it 0.000025" thinner, add a few buttons and call it the 5G.



Anyway, maybe this will help:




I suppose we'll have to wait for the new iPhone to get out there before we get an up to date chart showing how much iPhone users get shafted.

Originally Posted by harrybarracuda

Actually I posted both O2 and Vodaphone prices. They may have been revised, but they weren't "lies", Daffy. Lies are things you fabricate.

As we've shown, it applies to you - unless you can pony up a link to substantiate your allegation that I lie? What's that? Silence?

So, we'll just stick with you being the liar, then, shall we?

Posting a pretty graph with carefully selected numbers won't change that - yeah, curious that suddenly, when push came to shove, you're no longer that determined to use to O2 UK prices. Why is that?

Originally Posted by harrybarracuda

And you forget the difference. If I don't want to buy the top end HTC Desire (around $550, which explains the high payback costs), I can choose another Android phone.

The calling plan costs are the same for their cheapest Android phone as well. Whoops, another convenient embellishment of your's, I take it?

Originally Posted by harrybarracuda

If you don't want your iPhone 4G you can

There's i no iPhone 4G, so not sure what you are referring to ...

As we've shown, it applies to you - unless you can pony up a link to substantiate your allegation that I lie? What's that? Silence?

Can't you read, Daffy? It says BILLSHRINK.COM in big letters. I think all that masturbating has ruined your eyesight.