Well, I needed something to do as I sit here feverishly awaiting the "go-live" of MobileMe.
I've been playing with the new App Store today thanks to friends who provided me with the MobileMe installation package and iPhone 2.0 firmware package. After a brief scare that I may have bricked my precious, I realized I needed to upgrade iTunes to the newest version before I could re-flash. (Read: almost epic fail.)
But once I knew all was well, and first tried it out, it was bliss. Like a taste of cool water after trudging through the desert, or that first glimpse of sun after a ridiculously long winter, the release of the App Store has rejuvenated my relationship with this little candy bar. I'm excited even now that my phone has instantly become about twelve times as functional and at least twice as fun... but even more excited that (#1) I don't need to upgrade to take advantage of it and (#2) I don't need to upgrade to take advantage of it.
So I figured I'd go through the new iPhone apps I've found the most useful so far - in other words, the ones that I can envision myself using every day, not just something that performs a little novelty act then ceases to be of any interest.
Facebook
I just recently got into Facebook (as in today, actually) and find the iPhone app to be incredibly useful. I haven't posted any pictures (to preserve the privacy of my friends) but let's just say that it's incredibly useful and simple, too. You can see your Facebook inbox, recent updates, friends, and more at a glance. It is for this reason that I think I will actually become more involved with Facebook, since it will be so simple and real-time.
AIM
Finally, a mobile AIM client for iPhone I won't have to jailbreak for.
Google Mobile
Love the search for nearby coffeehouse, Thai restaurant, etc. feature. It also includes convenient links to other Google Apps.
The New York Times
Lately, I've really enjoyed reading the New York Times. The editorials are great (and very opinionated), the news coverage is awesome, and I love the tight presentation. It's my favorite news site and feed, actually. So naturally, I'm in love with the iPhone client. It's just slick and maintains the look, feel, and beautiful font used by it's mother site. You can search news by category, too. This, guaranteed, will be one of my most used apps for the iPhone.
Pandora Radio
Pandora has helped me to discover a lot of my favorite artists, and I was stoked to see an app for it. Worked excellent over 802.11, not so sure about EDGE (haven't had the cojones or time to kill to try it yet) but has great potential.
Twitterific
Some have complained that this app is a little slow, but I like it's appearance and slick interface so far. Let's see how it holds up over constant use, but this could be my new Twitter client of choice.
And on a parting note....
BOO to the NetNewsWire app! NewsGator, I've been in love with NetNewsWire for Mac for quite some time now. I adore that I can sync all of my feeds between machines and have a free web-based client I can access from any machine. Admittedly, I read a LOT of feeds, and I think I broke the app on my phone. I know, I know, it was just released, but I'm sad. Please reassure me that the next release will work!
Come on already!!
So, just like the suit-clad Bluetooth-headset-wearing types who press the elevator button 37 times because they think it will make it come up faster, I'm gonna refresh my browser again to see if MobileMe is up yet...
Comments
I tried the Remote app right
I tried the Remote app right of the bat and love it. Not so compelling for controlling my MacBook Pro laptop but works very well for Apple TV. I don't have to turn on my TV to control music thru my the Apple TV which is perfect.
Coupla other apps I tried and liked:
- Box Office - perfect combination of relevant, timely information and location-based services. Browse the list of movies, then click to find the closest theater based on where you are. You also get Rotten Tomato reviews and more. Great FREE app!
- Urbanspoon - slot machine like experience makes finding a restaurant fun. You can lock down the neighborhood, the cuisine, and/or the price and then shake the phone to see what comes up! You have to see it to fully understand but another great LBS FREE app.
- Save Benjis - as in Benjamins. Its a comparison shopping tool that lets you quickly compare prices online for a wide variety of products. Most useful if your in the store fondling a potential purchase resisting the urge for instant gratification and want to see if there are better deals out there.
There are many more apps to try and buy of course. This App Store looks like it could really be interesting in the months ahead.
Sweet - I still have a lot
Sweet - I still have a lot more playing around to do. I remember the quick demo of Save Benjis and that looks like a pretty promising app. There's more than I have time for, which is a good thing :)
I'm actually looking forward to the game selection on iPhone as well. I tend to like games that are simple (yet complicated) and addictive. I was excited to see a Final Fantasy game on the App Store, only to learn it is iPod Touch specific :(
I can see a huge market for online gaming via the iPhone. They tried this with the Nokia N-Gage and failed, but portable online gaming has gained more success recently with Monster Hunter on the PSP in Japan and Pokemon (and others) for the Nintendo DS.
Now only if iPhone could harness that power...