APPDICTED! iPhone apps

[Haunted]

*Most iPhone apps also work on the iPod Touch and the iPad*

Everytime I get together with someone who has an iPhone / iPod Touch / iPad we wind up spending hours talking apps. So I thought it's time the app party came to Litnet.

I'll return to share what apps I've got and please share your collection and point each other to apps that we can all enjoy.

For now I'm off to my newly downloaded Talking Tom. Tom is a cat that repeats everything you say in his cat voice. I have to be careful because if I'm not looking, he'll scratch my screen!

[Janine]

Great, Haunted; glad you started this. Lately I have been app appy! It is very addictive because so many are free and I like to get some really cool interactive ones for my granddaughter who loves my new iPod Touch - a Christmas gift.

I also love to get the book apps for myself and last night I was delighted to find on Audible a narration of several of D.H.Lawrence's short stories. I am dying to listen to them.

I have Talking Roby and the other night my friend, Lynne and I had a great time making him repeat what we had to say...we could not stop laughing. I am yet to try out the cat on the device, but I have the cat "Meow" piano which Brooke loves. She loves even more the free version of the Virtuoso Piano. In fact, I have a whole file full of cool musical instruments.

If anyone is interesting in getting cool apps for your kids, let me know and I will point you to freebies which little ones will love and learn a lot from. 2 1/2 and Brooke is loving the iPod and she knows some of the features - surely by 3 she will be text messaging! Yikes, what a thought.

[Haunted]

me too Janine, I'm always happy as long as I have my iPhone next to me.

Does your iPod have a microphone? You'd love the flute. You blow into it, press some keys and you can make beautiful music. You can also record it for playback. There's probably a way to email / share that too.

[Janine]

me too Janine, I'm always happy as long as I have my iPhone next to me.

Does your iPod have a microphone? You'd love the flute. You blow into it, press some keys and you can make beautiful music. You can also record it for playback. There's probably a way to email / share that too.

When I go out now mostly I take it with me. In the day I am usually charging it. I have the flute and it's really nice graphics; but I can't seem to master the 'blowing' technique; so I switched it to manual. I may try it again later on. I didn't have the patience around Christmas. Do you have the Harp or the Church Organ? The iOrgel Pro music box is awesome, too. You can make your own there as well and record it, I believe. The graphics are so realistic and it has a little key you turn three times - Brooke loves to do that herself. Kids and adults alike are charmed by these musical apps.

One of my favorite apps is the Clox app...various hynotic type clocks...about 8 or 10 or more. It was only 1.99 when I bought it but now it's more...if you put it into your wishlist it may come down in price eventually. I know you would like it...the 'spacey' one is cool...and there is one that is so surrealistic...that is my favorite....time uncoils and it appears to come towards you.

[JuniperWoolf]

What the hell is an "app?"

[Maximilianus]

What the hell is an "app?"
App is computer jargon for "application."
A synonym for "program" or "software."

[JuniperWoolf]

Oh. What does it do, is it like a video game?

[Haunted]

Apps are the square icons. There are game apps, music instruments, books, business applications, etc. Big companies have their own apps, like airlines, Starbucks, Pizza Hut, and you can order right from the app. Some apps let you process credit cards. Paypal has an app and you can buy or get payment on the fly. Apple has 300,000 apps. Usually I hear about some apps talking to friends, or if I want something, I just do a search in the App Store and I would usually find a few of them.

http://www.digitaltrends.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/06/apple-iphone-4-10.jpg

[Basil]

...there are game apps, music instruments, books, business applications, etc. Big companies have their own apps, like airlines, Starbucks, Pizza Hut, and you can order right from the app. Some apps let you process credit cards. Paypal has an app and you can buy or get payment on the fly. Apple has 300,000 apps.

Of course, it goes without saying that the talking cat apps are pretty much the pinnacle of achievement in the application world.

[Haunted]

Of course, it goes without saying that the talking cat apps are pretty much the pinnacle of achievement in the application world.

no but the Angry Birds is.

[JuniperWoolf]

Is THAT where Angry Birds comes from? Jesus, I've been wondering about that for months. All of the geek circles that I hang out with are constantly on about Angry Birds, and I never have any idea what they're talking about.

[Haunted]

I think I'm the only one on the planet with an iPhone who hasn't gotten the Angry Birds.

[Janine]

No, Haunted, I am not about to waste my time with the 'Angry Birds' ap. either.

Juniper, there are many very useful apps (applications). They are like short cuts to favorite sites or places where you can download books, many free. The possibilities with the iPod are endless. I got Talking Roby and other fun apps for my granddaughter, who is enchanted with the virtual world...not just games but many interactive children's books and drawing applications...very creative! I am glad she is exposed to it, since computers are definitely here to stay. She is very smart and half the time she is showing me a few tricks on my iPod.

Go to an Apple store and try them out. It's loads of fun and they don't pressure you to buy there at all. I am not a Mac person per se. But oddly enough I learned computer on the old Mac which had a monitor about the size of a tiny tv and get this...it was black and white only back then. However, the iPod is well designed and works wonderful to store many useful and educational things. I have apps for music, science, utilities, humanities, literature, art, etc. Very few of my apps are game apps, since I am not into games very much. Most of those are just fun things to play or try to play with my granddaughter.

[papayahed]

Ohhhhh giiirrlllssss, I just got an ipad. I've found a few apps like the NASA one and netflix, one of these days I'll have to sit down and do a search.

[Maximilianus]

What a lively thread!
Some people say technology disfavors communication. They are obviously wrong ;) :)

[TheFifthElement]

Angry Birds people. It's the reason iPhones were invented. Get the lite version, it's free.

[stephofthenight]

Haunted-nope refuse to get it, dont see the point in blowing up little birdys by throwing them into stuff...

[stephofthenight]

ER...all the talk of free apps, did anyone else jailbreak there iphone? maybe I'm the "bad apple" of litnet. but if you jailbreak them they are all free plus you can create folders for orginzation :D Personaly I hate that the battery dies soooo fast. but some of the best apps I use are...facebook-emoji(free smileys, REAL smileys) Farmville, Select color(free and Addicting), Dream Journal- Food scanner(really cool, just scan the barcode of your snack and it records calories, carbs and such. you can also check restraunt menus for diet qualifications) Datacontrol(monitors your data plan and how much you are actualy using in a month)-BOOKWORM(a must have for everyone on this sight you will LOVE it.) Instant Poetry( you take your picture, pick a catagory and than take and use the words it gives you to create a poem, very fun. Private Photoalbum(Hey lets admit we all have a few photos we dont want the world to have access to, you create two passwords fr this app, the real one and a decoy so you can unlock for people who are pushy that just has random pictures you add, and the real one that self destructs after 3 failed attempts. :)

[Maximilianus]

Wow...
http://smilies-gifs.com/pensando/5pensando.gif

[Janine]

Ohhhhh giiirrlllssss, I just got an ipad. I've found a few apps like the NASA one and netflix, one of these days I'll have to sit down and do a search.

Wow, papayahed, that is terrific. Great that you got one; was it a Christmas gift? Please share your iPad experiences with us. I played around with one in the Apple store - sure was fun. I downloaded quite a number of apps by accident, which are really for iPad. Maybe one of these days I will win one. I keep entering iPad contests. They are truly awesome devices. I got the Nasa one for my iPod Touch. It's so cool.

[Janine]

What a lively thread!
Some people say technology disfavors communication. They are obviously wrong ;) :)

I find it does just the opposite, don't you? It puts you in contact with the world. I love it!

[Maximilianus]

... I downloaded quite a number of apps by accident...
Oh, yes... you had an online accident... :sosp:... sure! :lol:


... I love it!
If you don't say it I wouldn't have guessed :smilielol5:

[Basil]

I'm not familiar with the NASA app, but anyone interested in astronomy should take a look at Star Walk (http://vitotechnology.com/star-walk.html). It's a "planetarium app": point your phone (or iPad) at the night sky and it will reveal and identify on your screen whatever astronomical objects are in the sky at that time. There's much more to it than that, but you really have to see it to appreciate it. It seems more like magic than technology.

[Janine]

I'm not familiar with the NASA app, but anyone interested in astronomy should take a look at Star Walk (http://vitotechnology.com/star-walk.html). It's a "planetarium app": point your phone (or iPad) at the night sky and it will reveal and identify on your screen whatever astronomical objects are in the sky at that time. There's much more to it than that, but you really have to see it to appreciate it. It seems more like magic than technology.

Basil, you talked me into it. I am a sucker for the stars and for magic! :Angel_anim: Hey, Max, I accidentally just downloaded another cool app....:smilielol5:

[weltanschauung]

my buddy has the most disgusting iphone app ive ever seen.
its pimple squeezer? UGGGH, laskjflajfkjlfkjsl

[JuniperWoolf]

I watched some Angry Birds gameplay on youtube after I read about it here. It is mesmerizing...

[Haunted]

I have Star Walk and it's amazing on the iPhone but it's totally awesome on the iPad. Papaya, if you like stars and constellations even remotely I suggest you get this. I used it to locate the Geminid meteor showers a few weeks ago. Another great app for your iPad is Solar Walk. It's interactive and the graphics is magnificent. It's also educational.

Janine, I just thought of a cool little app for you and your granddaughter. It's called DoodleBuddy. You get it on your iPod Touch and her parents iPhones. Turn on "draw with another user" option, and you can start drawing together. Write or finger draw something and it would appear on hers, and her writing and drawings will instantly appears on yours. Pick a different color for each other. To clear the screen just shake it. You'll have tons of fun with it.

oh, did you have Bump already? Select photos and a user, then bump! and the photos will go right into their iPhone or iPod.

I'm on the fence with Angry Birds. Steph, not to worry, if it's that violent I wouldn't go near it. But I'm curious to see what's all the buzz is about.

[Janine]

my buddy has the most disgusting iphone app ive ever seen.
its pimple squeezer? UGGGH, laskjflajfkjlfkjsl

I saw that one and I passed right by it with disgust. Remember that individuals make up these apps. I also saw the fart and burp one and that pretty much turned me off as well. There are those with that mentality unfortunately. Best thing to do is to read the reviews before getting the app. The reviews and ratings are right below the app being offered in the itunes store pages.

Thanks, but I have Doodle Buddy, Haunted.I didn't know it would do all that. I still don't have my wifi router connected or installed. Maybe today. Been too busy to do so and I don't want to mess up installation.

[Janine]

Haunted, exactly how does 'Bump' work? I just downloaded it, since it's free. Is it just for sharing photos and text? People said on the reviews that you can't share music; but that is ok with me. Still sounds pretty cool. Thanks for the suggestion!

[papayahed]

Wow, papayahed, that is terrific. Great that you got one; was it a Christmas gift? Please share your iPad experiences with us. I played around with one in the Apple store - sure was fun. I downloaded quite a number of apps by accident, which are really for iPad. Maybe one of these days I will win one. I keep entering iPad contests. They are truly awesome devices. I got the Nasa one for my iPod Touch. It's so cool.

I'm still getting used to it, I'll keep you updated.


I'm not familiar with the NASA app, but anyone interested in astronomy should take a look at Star Walk (http://vitotechnology.com/star-walk.html). It's a "planetarium app": point your phone (or iPad) at the night sky and it will reveal and identify on your screen whatever astronomical objects are in the sky at that time. There's much more to it than that, but you really have to see it to appreciate it. It seems more like magic than technology.


I have Star Walk and it's amazing on the iPhone but it's totally awesome on the iPad. Papaya, if you like stars and constellations even remotely I suggest you get this. I used it to locate the Geminid meteor showers a few weeks ago. Another great app for your iPad is Solar Walk. It's interactive and the graphics is magnificent. It's also educational.

I downloaded Star Walk and Solar Walk, very cool. The NASA app shows when a shuttle or space station is visible in your area. Hoepfully tomorrow at 6:35 pm the sky will be clear and I will see the space station.

[JuniperWoolf]

That's amazing. I always wanted to get into astrology, but I can never find the constellations. It's pretty hard when this: >-- ...is supposed to be a crab.

[Haunted]

ER...all the talk of free apps, did anyone else jailbreak there iphone? maybe I'm the "bad apple" of litnet. but if you jailbreak them they are all free plus you can create folders for orginzation :D Personaly I hate that the battery dies soooo fast. but some of the best apps I use are...facebook-emoji(free smileys, REAL smileys) Farmville, Select color(free and Addicting), Dream Journal- Food scanner(really cool, just scan the barcode of your snack and it records calories, carbs and such. you can also check restraunt menus for diet qualifications) Datacontrol(monitors your data plan and how much you are actualy using in a month)-BOOKWORM(a must have for everyone on this sight you will LOVE it.) Instant Poetry( you take your picture, pick a catagory and than take and use the words it gives you to create a poem, very fun. Private Photoalbum(Hey lets admit we all have a few photos we dont want the world to have access to, you create two passwords fr this app, the real one and a decoy so you can unlock for people who are pushy that just has random pictures you add, and the real one that self destructs after 3 failed attempts. :)

You got some eclectic app collection there :wink5:
I would never consider jailbreaking my iPhone, yikes. I think some jailbroke theirs to get on other networks than AT&T. But I held out for 3 years waiting for it to get on Verizon but when the iPhone 4 came out I just couldn't resist. Today they finally announced it, Verizon will have an iPhone. That made a lot of people happy.

If you just want to organize your apps into folders, you won't need to jailbreak. The iPhone 4 has folder capability. Just drop one app over another to create an instant folder.



Haunted, exactly how does 'Bump' work? I just downloaded it, since it's free. Is it just for sharing photos and text? People said on the reviews that you can't share music; but that is ok with me. Still sounds pretty cool. Thanks for the suggestion!

I know you can Bump photos and contacts, probably a few other things too. This is how it works. Say you are with Brooke and she has a photo of her on her iPhone and you want it. Both of you launch Bump, pick each other as users, select the photo, then *bump* your iPod Touch to her iPhone, and her photo goes right into your iPod Touch.




I downloaded Star Walk and Solar Walk, very cool. The NASA app shows when a shuttle or space station is visible in your area. Hoepfully tomorrow at 6:35 pm the sky will be clear and I will see the space station.

I just downloaded NASA. A lot of goodies in that app. To date I have acquired these space apps:

Solar System
planetFacts
Planets
Solar Walk
Star Walk
NASA

You can see I'm an astro junkie :D

[Janine]

You got some eclectic app collection there :wink5:
I would never consider jailbreaking my iPhone, yikes. I think some jailbroke theirs to get on other networks than AT&T. But I held out for 3 years waiting for it to get on Verizon but when the iPhone 4 came out I just couldn't resist. Today they finally announced it, Verizon will have an iPhone. That made a lot of people happy.


If you just want to organize your apps into folders, you won't need to jailbreak. The iPhone 4 has folder capability. Just drop one app over another to create an instant folder.

I was wondering about all this. It sounds too risky to me. I like to be protected, even on the small devices. I only have the iPod Touch; but still I was told others can hack in, if they know how to or you don't use caution - just not worth it, since the devices are not cheap. My iPod Touch has that filing feature. I figured it out by accident. It sure helps a lot to keep organised.


I know you can Bump photos and contacts, probably a few other things too. This is how it works. Say you are with Brooke and she has a photo of her on her iPhone and you want it. Both of you launch Bump, pick each other as users, select the photo, then *bump* your iPod Touch to her iPhone, and her photo goes right into your iPod Touch. That is how I thought it worked. Brooke doesn't own her own iPod yet but she has a play computer...hahah... I will have to post photos - so cute. She loves the iPod though...that will be cool to do with my daughter-in-law or with my son's phone. Can you bump free apps? I guess that would be asking a lot...haha



I just downloaded NASA. A lot of goodies in that app. To date I have acquired these space apps:

Solar System
planetFacts
Planets
Solar Walk
Star Walk
NASA

You can see I'm an astro junkie :D

Very cool, Haunted. I am going to keep these in mind for the future. I have a few of them already - love them! You would like the program from BBC - Brian Cox - "Wonders of the Solar System" - I saw it on YT and then I broke down and bought the DVD, which I love. It's very entertaining as well since Brian makes science fun.

[stephofthenight]

That's cool only had the 4 for a few days before it was destroyed. So I mostly use my 3GS. As far as risky it's basically an app you download from cydia called instalous and it has every app in the apple store but you download it from there library when you sync to iTunes it syncs just like there app even comes up in your purchased tab.

[Haunted]

TIP OF THE DAY

ok, just came across this in an old New York Times blog about Apple's free iBook app — it can actually read your books and pdfs out loud to you!

Turn on VoiceOver (Settings > General > Accessibility)

Then open a book and tap the first line (to get the highlighting of the buttons at top)

Now swipe down the page with two fingers to make the iPhone (iPod Touch or iPad) start reading the book to you out loud with a synthetic voice :D It even turns the pages automatically and keeps going until you tap with two fingers to stop it.


Speaking of the iBook app, I like the yellow highlighter feature. The Copy and Paste works great if you want to share parts with others. Just copy and then switch over to email and paste it and hit send.

To share with Litnetters, open Safari and paste into a post.

By the way Papaya, when are we getting our own Litnet iPhone app?

[papayahed]

By the way Papaya, when are we getting our own Litnet iPhone app?

Hey! Great Idea!

[Haunted]

That's amazing. I always wanted to get into astrology, but I can never find the constellations. It's pretty hard when this: >-- ...is supposed to be a crab.

If you see Star Walk in realtime, the constellations appear in connected dots and then beautifully sketched illustrations of the constellations fade in fade out as you scan across the sky. It's mesmerizing!

If you're into astrology/horoscopy Astro Love is a cool app (and it's free). You pick your sign and decan and who you want to pair with, then you can watch your compatibility in percentages change on the love radar with every second. Sometimes your hearts are far apart but it moves constantly and voila, it overlaps! Of course accuracy is unknown but it's 100% fun ;)

[Janine]

Haunted, I downloaded the crazy astrology app but a lot of people are complaining about not knowing just how to use it. However, half way down the page someone said "what is wrong with these people, it's not difficult to use"...so I took a chance and besides you can help me if I run into trouble.

[Janine]

There is a podcast called App Advice Daily, which I subscribed to. The girl is a little quirpy, but she gives you some good ideas on apps...she really knows her stuff. I just downloaded '360 web search' - it allows you to use Firefox as your browser if you choose and also watch Flash videos - cool, eh?

[papayahed]

Any others?

[MystyrMystyry]

Well it's dumb, but it's called Pinball Deluxe, and it's just about as close to a real pinball table (actually there are six tables to choose from) as anything programmed for a larger computer. The table's so large the phone pans (up down left right) to accomodate a view of the ball. But there's one table in particular that's really worth mentioning, with an undewater theme which has an incredible six flippers and multiballs! Quite amazing to play once you start to get the hang of it.

[JuniperWoolf]

At work the other day, we were bored so one of the other bartenders whips out this "Watch the Penguins" app. It was kind of cool, they had a live camera in a penguin habitat that never switched off, so you could just kind of watch the penguins live their lives (they mostly sleep and fall over each other, apparently).

[Haunted]

Guess My Age App. It's right every single time. Uncanny!

[papayahed]

drop7. I love that game

[Hawkman]

I appear to be living in the wrong millenium. I still think stone tools are a pretty neat idea. My mobile can send texts and make and recieve phone calls, which is all I want it to do. It can also access the web which I don't want it to do because it costs more money. It has other functions which I ignore. This is probably not surprising from someone who wrote a poem called Luddite :D I do like email though, a great boon to mankind.

Live long and prosper.

[MystyrMystyry]

You of all people seem to be missing the point Hawk. A Tricorder of your own - hello? The electronic whizkids' wizardry have made it possible for us to have a taste of 'actual' Startrek right now (and even beyond - and while we're still alive!)

I have an app that allows me to record in ultra-high def, so when home after the forest I can hear tiny little sounds I couldn't discern at the time. Amazing. But also I can use it to record both myself playing and small gigs which might otherwise have come and gone without much fanfare (and I wish there were more live recordings of some great jazz performances)

I have a recording studio app with seven different synthesizers and effects, and eight track mixer, and even a video editor (a bit too fiddly though, but available if the necessity arises).

Games at the moment are Star Wars Galaxy Defense, which is like Total Annihilation without the boring bits (and there were many!) and it's just a bit of explosive fun really (even laugh out loud). Another is a accelerometer controlled racing game which gets progressively faster (good for exercising reflexes)

There's science podcasts and news feeds, and even comedians sending fresh jokes every minute (the more you sign up to, the more jokes you get)

But on science there's a bloke who seems to know everything there is to know about science and medicine. Send him a text question, and a few minutes later he gives you the answer (unless he's asleep obviously). This is really good value because I have so many unanswered questions slowly getting answered - and even more because you can tap into other people's questions and answers in a feed. And when he's occasionally wrong he actually wants to hear why.

Best toy ever ;)

[Hawkman]

When they make one with a working phaser, I'll buy it :D

[MystyrMystyry]

Apparently there's one in the works but they don't trust us to use it responsibly

(I mean you know we'd actually be the Klingons rather than the Federation, right?)

[Hawkman]

I'm Vulcan!

[Haunted]

One of these days there will be a Beam Me Up Scotty App and Hawk would find himself suddenly sitting next to MM :D

The thing with the iPhone and all the apps is, once you get it, you'll discover other things to do with the phone. You can read books and magazines and watch movies. Also each app is an additional function. The Flashlight is a necessity especially when you are in exile in some foreign land.

[Hawkman]

Well the Beam Me Up app would be nice, but no offence, unless MM is a slim, petite brunette, on the whole I'd rather be in Philedelphia - lol

To be honest Haunted, I already have a library of several thousand books and if they were all on an Iphone and I lost it, I'd lose the lot! As for watching movies, the whole point is the big screen, isn't it? Can't see myself fitting a cinema in my pocket or even a 40inch plasma :D Cinema should be an immersive experience. And as I need to wear glasses just to read my books I feel the added level of minuteness would detract from, rather than enhance the experience. I've got several torches too ;) The smallest device I'm prepared to countenance is a laptop, and though it would be nice to read my emails in bed, especially from my favourite correspondants, my eyes don't start working properly in the morning until after my 3rd cup of coffee, so I have to get up and go down stairs anyway ;)

Live and be well - H

[Haunted]

In a few days the iPhone would have iCloud that stores all your books and whatnots on the cloud and pushes it to all your devices, so you'll still have your collection intact. I love watching tv and movies on my 40 inch too but in bed I watch and read stuff on the iPhone. I'm nearsighted so when I lie on my stomach, its just the right distance. I know what you mean about favorite correspondants, I need to read their emails first thing when I open my eyes, and since I sleep with the iPhone (it's also my alarm and radio), I can get all the long awaited messages without rolling out of bed.

And you never know Hawk, there may one day be a SlimPetiteBrunette App for MM's total transformation :D

[Hawkman]

Ok if you can get it to make my coffee in the morning I'll consider it - but the slimpetitebrunette app would be banned by the law as it would be too useful for bank robbers. Of course, once the app was out there it might be difficult to keep a lid on it, so someone else would have to come up with a slimpetitebrunette inhibitor app - which would be a tradgedy ;)

[MystyrMystyry]

New Games!

3D Master Pool Pro (with Snooker!), Myth Defense, Treasure Chaser (Lode Runner), and Flood Runner (a platformer where you have to acrobat your way away from an endless tidal wave)


No 'Beam me up Scotty' yet though...

[Haunted]

No 'Beam me up Scotty' yet though...

I'm sure Hawk is just as anxious as you are to get it :D



the slimpetitebrunette app would be banned by the law as it would be too useful for bank robbers.

hmm I wonder if there's a Rob A Bank App...I'm a bit short on cash.

[Hawkman]

The simplest app would be a forgery app, just set up a wireless link to your printer and print your own money :D

[Haunted]

hey Hawk, I think you're onto something. How's the food in the slammer? :D


Ok, so I watched a few Simon's Cat videos on youtube and got hooked. They are line drawings cartoons and if you have the Retina Display, the details are amazing. I missed the patches on the couch when I went back to the regular laptop. Here's one of them: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3VLcLH97eRw&feature=youtube_gdata_player

So I'm an instant fan and guess what, there are TWO Simon's Cat apps! One is a game (http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=endscreen&NR=1&v=NpZpPzSkjrM), the other one is a music app, which I just downloaded, it's called Simon's Cat in Purrfect Pitch.

If you like to play the piano and hear the keys meow back to you, there's a free app, Piano Cats. Highly recommended!