Top 10 Apps for 2010
I’m an iPhone kinda guy. Not quite a fan-boy but I must be getting close. I bought my first 3GS in July, and it’s quite literally changed my life. It synchronizes my contacts, emails, calendar, tasks, music, podcasts and news feeds with negligible effort on my end. All of this using the built-in software out of the box and the infinite possibilities of the world wide web!
Now if you’ve never heard of an iPhone, or that you think that you buy apples in the fruit and veg section, then this post probably isn’t for you. Just imagine that there’s a magical shop where you spend electronic money to buy what we in the biz call “Apps”. Here’s my pick of the top iPhone Apps for 2010!
1. Facebook
In this day and age, everybody uses Facebook. My mum, my auntie and my friend’s inflatable sheep join the 350 million active users world-wide. The latest update from the internet giant brings push notifications to the app, notifying you instantly when someone comments on your wall or tags that photo of you from Saturday night. Instantly killing off a number of competing apps, version 3.1 automatically syncs your friends’ photos with your contacts every time you run the app. Facebook gets the number 1 spot for the number of hours I’ve spent falking instead of sleeping. Facebook on iTunes.
2. Google Mobile App
For all those times when you’re in the supermarket and need to find out the difference between cornstarch and cornflour, without the hand free to type your search. Just pull out the app, hold it up to your ear, and (instead of asking the guy stacking the shelves next to you) ask your phone. Google uses a previously disallowed API to determine when your phone presses against your face and begins the voice recognition. While also providing links to the most common Google sites, what I like most is the ability to change the voice recognition beeps to monkey noises. That’s why the Google Mobile App gets my number 2! Google Mobile App on iTunes.
3. Shazam
“Got my bands up, do doo do doo song” isn’t the best search phrase when you’re trying to find that song you heard on the radio. You knew that it had something to do with butterflies and taxi cabs, but the search results are questionable at best. If only you’d reached into your pocket and used the amazing power of Shazam! Is the exclamation mark part of the name? I’m not sure. You hold up your iPhone next to the speaker, and “tag” the song. Shazam will listen for 30 seconds, send it away for analysis, and come back with the name and artist of the song. I’m not sure how it works (Josh does), but if you really care how Miley parties in the USA then you should get Shazam! Shazam on iTunes.
4. Pocket Weather AU
Brrr it’s cold in here, and I can hear thunder outside, but can I go and fly my kite this afternoon? The iPhone comes with a built-in weather app, which people love so much that they wish they could lose it. Developed by a couple of Adelaide guys, Pocket Weather is the next best thing to having Jane Reilly in your pocket. The app provides a comprehensive 7 day forecast with rainfall, humidity and wind readings. For the really keen you can check out the live radar direct from the Bureau of Meteorology. Best of all, this app could save your life. Using the new push technology you’ll instantly receive the latest weather alerts, notifying you of road weather warnings and sheep grazier advice. Not free at $2.49, but easily the best in its class. Pocket Weather AU on iTunes.
5. Photoshop.com Mobile
When I pulled my iPhone out of the box, the first thing I tried was the camera. Yeah it’s not the greatest in the world, but with some cropping and rotating you can really tidy up the images. It’s a pity that the default photo viewer has absolutely no support for doing this at all! “What, no rotating?!” I hear you say. That’s right, because Mr. Jobs decided that we can just turn our phones on their sides (if you don’t mind continuously chasing the rotating image). Thankfully the power that couldn’t bring Flash to the iPhone, brought this other major offering instead. Photoshop brings cropping, rotation and lots of other things, and is offered for the low price of $0.00 (Australian Dollars). Photoshop.com Mobile on iTunes.
6. MultiConvert
Here’s one for the inner geek. MultiConvert allows you to convert kilometres to miles, fahrenheit to centigrade, and pints to cups. They are just 3 of the hundreds of different units available using the simple user interface. Some of the less common conversions include imperial pecks to dashes, quires to reams, and pascal-seconds to poises. I don’t know about you, but I’m always confused by my quires! The application will also download the latest conversion rates for currency and a number of other variable quantities. This one certainly doesn’t impress the ladies, but you can quiz yourself on cup sizes for hours. MultiConvert on iTunes.
7. Now Playing
If you do happen to have a lucky lady in your life, it’ll get you into the good books if you take her to see a movie. Pull out your phone (making sure you close MultiConvert without her seeing!) and open Now Playing. Using data downloaded from community critic site Rotten Tomatoes, you’ll get the latest reviews on current and future flicks. Using the built-in GPS, Now Playing will list the cinemas closest to you with the available session times. With links to trailers and online ticket sales, you can skip the lines and head straight to the seats. Don’t forget to buy your date a large popcorn though, otherwise you’ll undo all your good work. A note for the newbies: popcorn is the only food that you can buy the largest possible size for a girl without her being insulted. In fact buying her a small translates directly to “I think you’re fat”. Now Playing on iTunes.
8. Remote
If you took my popcorn advice, and saw a good rom-com (none of this Avatar or Zombieland business), then you might be in the need for this next app. Remote by Apple Inc. allows you to take control of iTunes running remotely (hence the name) on a networked computer. It gives you access to your entire iTunes library, letting you choose which songs/artists/playlists to set the mood with. The album art is transmitted directly to your phone and updates whenever the track changes. You can adjust the volume whenever you like, with just a slide of your finger. I recommend some Robbie Williams or Pete Murray, because remember it’s not all about you! Also useful for pretending to be a ghost/computer virus, Remote for your iPhone is a must. Remote on iTunes.
9. Domino’s
This new release application is a dream come true. Now you can use your phone to order pizza! There’s not a lot to say here. The interface is very similar to Domino’s online offering, but with the added advantage of… umm… being on your phone..? Although it doesn’t offer much more than dialing your local store, it does become handy sometimes. If you want pizza from Domino’s, and you want to show off your geeky abilities, then that’s the time to use this app. Otherwise, maybe pick up the phone and call a better store? (Legalese: There is nothing wrong with Domino’s pizza, and Matthew Blackford of Serialize This highly recommends their delicious round circles.) Domino’s on iTunes.
10. Footy Lite
Like all good Australians (awsies for the internationally inclined), I support my football team. That’s Australian Rules Football (AFL) where two teams compete by kicking an oval-shaped Sherrin, with players being allowed to catch the ball but not throw it. I love to watch the games live when I can, but with my busy lifestyle it’s not always possible. Footy Lite (the free version of Footy) keeps me up to date with the current scores and top goal scorers. Covering all 22 rounds of the home and away season, as well as the final series with that big day in September, Footy Lite is part of being Australian. (Sadly to get a screenshot where my team won, I had to scroll back six weeks and even then it was against one of the worst teams in the league… 
) Footy Lite on iTunes.
11. Scramble 2
“Top 11 Apps for 2010″ wouldn’t have been anywhere near as catchy, and now that I’ve sucked you in here’s my number 11. I’m breaking the rules for this word puzzle sensation that’s so good it’s 2. What seems to be an electronic take-off of the popular game with the letters called b*****, Scramble 2 is the only game to make it into my top 10 11. The aim of the game is to find words in a random selection of letters, within a short time frame. The larger the words the more points you get, and the better your bragging rights. You can even configure the app to annoy your friends on Facebook with every game you play. “Not” is not the best word I’ve ever found, but you have no idea how hard it is trying to screenshot mid animation! Plus I would not have been able to make all these cool “not” puns otherwise. Get Scramble 2. It’s fun, competitive, and stops you from losing your mind. Scramble 2 on iTunes.
11 is never enough, especially when it comes to iPhone apps. I ran out of room for some of my favourites such as Flight Control and Cricket Lite, and left out others because they are so 2009. With Apple’s New Years Resolution being to approve apps faster, there’s sure to be a bunch of amazing apps I’ve never heard about. What apps would top your list for 2010?
My 2010 Resolutions
As the world celebrated the end of 2009, I was watching the Google countdown on my iPhone with 30 to 40 of my newest friends. In amongst the cheering and embracing, people were asking each other the age-old question, “What are your new year’s resolutions?”
Personally, I’ve never taken my resolutions very seriously, and as a result I have rarely achieved them. Like most people I’m sure, there are always so many things that I want to do but time just seems to pass with nothing to show for it. In 2010 I want things to be different. I want to be watching Google’s 2010 count down (hoping for something better than a dodgy JavaScript animation!), and be able to say that I’ve made the most of my year. As with most problems in my life, I turned to the internet in search for some tips. Whoa. I was completely overwhelmed! There are entire web sites dedicated to helping you meet your goals filled with advertising and propaganda. Instead, I’ve come up with this (yes another!) list of tips that I’m going to follow:
- Be realistic. You can’t learn to fly just by flapping your arms. Set goals that you know are possible to achieve even if they will take some hard work. Aiming too high will only set you up for failure when you jump off a second story building and plummet to the ground.
- Set clear and specific goals. You need to be clear about what you plan to achieve. There’s no point saying that you’ll save money without specifying how much you plan to put away. Break the time frame into smaller chunks, so that you can track your progress at regular intervals.
- Spread the word. Not only will this keep you honest about your resolutions, but you may find other people doing the same thing. Support from friends is beneficial, as is the threat of mockery from people you dislike.
- Keep your resolutions visible. Create a chart, graph, or diagram that depicts your progress. Us tech types love to collect data and display it in occasionally useful ways. These charts keep our goals in mind, and remind us when we’ve been naughty.
- Re-evaluate your goals. On a regular basis check how you’re going. If you’re easily meeting your goals, maybe step it up a level. If you’re falling behind you should get yourself into gear and stop making excuses! Otherwise go back and change your original blog entry to make it seem like you’re on track.
So now that I’ve procrastinated with this list of tips, here’s what I hope to achieve in 2010:
- Start writing a blog. That blog of course is this blog! I’ve talked about writing one for the past year and have found every excuse not to. I spent months coming up with a custom engine and theme without actually writing any content. So I’ve scrapped it all, created a blank WordPress theme, and I’m starting to post. I’ll slowly work on the design over time, but content is the number one goal. Now for the specific part, I will write 4 to 6 posts a week for the next 12 months. I’m going to commit to that schedule to give myself the best chance of being successful.
- Become fit and healthy. As with most developers, 8 to 12 hours a day in front of a computer screen isn’t the best for my health. Mostly my diet is pretty good, as I do a lot of cooking with plenty of fresh fruit and veg, but I definitely don’t get enough physical exercise. As a minimum, I am going to do 30 minutes of continuous exercise everyday. It doesn’t count if I walk 15 minutes to work in the morning and back in the afternoon, it has to be in a single block. I’m not going to fuss over the type of exercise because anything is better than what I do now.
- Play the piano. I’ve only had a few formal lessons, but I’ve been teaching myself to play it for the last decade. My enthusiasm has dwindled lately, and I haven’t even plugged in the piano since moving into my current house. I don’t want to become a virtuoso, but I’d like to become more fluent. Every night that I spend at home I’ll turn it on and play for a good 15 minutes. Eventually I’ll try to learn some new songs, but for now I’ll just frustrate my girlfriend with the same 3 in a loop.
- Develop an open source application. I want to write a single open source application that gets at least 10 users outside of my family. This goal is light on specifics as I don’t really care what it is, what language it’s written in, or how complicated the task. I want to get the experience of managing a project with real world users, bug reports and feature requests. I’ve got a big list of things I’d like to do, but I’m always on the lookout for more ideas. This is something I’ll definitely follow-up in future blog posts.
It’s a simple list, but hopefully achievable. Following my list of tips, I’ve scratched a few other resolutions that either weren’t achievable or that I couldn’t break down into clear and simple goals. I’ll be posting my progress on this blog, and will be doing my best to meet my 2010 resolutions. How are you planning to keep yours on track?
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