Having had the iPhone 3g for yonks now, I thought it’d be a good idea to share my thoughts on some of the best programmes I’ve enjoyed using over the past short while. i’ll try to stick to the functional and the fun.
Essentials
Apple-sanctioned
EirText Pro by Lack of Concept Software
This little programme allows me to use the 250 webtexts offered by 02 Ireland (and Meteor and Vodafone if you also have one of those) from my iphone without recourse to the O2 website. It doesn’t completely replace the SMS programme, but it works a treat, and is mature enough at this stage to recommend. The webtexts can be used internationally, so i’d particularly recommend it to people with family or friends overseas. The price is something like €1.59, and obvioulsy can be used via wifi when roaming, so after I had used it six times from my room in Northern Ireland it had paid for itself. texts sent through this message appear to arrive as from your mobile number, so no mucking about! Available from the iTunes App Store.
Fring (€Free) by Fring
Multi-protocol Instand messaging with built-in VOIP system? For free? Yes please. This system is fully-featured and exceptionally good, allowing good quality VOIP straight from the handset. I’d recommend it bigtime, if you use IMs at all in your life. The only niggle might be the lack of effective backgrounding, but this is Apple’s fault, not Fring’s. Find out more about this free app here
Budget (€1.59) by Deskescape
Budget is an app which offered much, then delivered little, but whose developers actually paid attention to the needs of the users. A fully-featured payment scheduling, projecting and planing budgeter, beautifully tailored to the iPhone and iPod Touch GUI, this tool is now super-effective at planning my finance, even for those niggly details like fortnightly payments and scheduling child support. Simple transaction and budget entry – CSV Data Export- Expenses vs budget graphing- Highlighting of over budget expenses- Reminders for overdue expenses- Yearly expense comparison… This is easy to learn and useful to have; for the strict savers amongst us, this is worthwhile in spades.
WordPress (€Free) by Automattic and Effigent and the WordPress Community
No nonsense, fully featured blogging on your own constellation of websites direct on the iPhone or iPod Touch. Has to be on your device, or you aren’t a geek.
Noise.io Pro (£5.99) and BeatMaker (£11.99) by Noise.io and Intua
I’m taking these together, because they’re about to get a really cool linking technology. Noise.io is the first full and proper synth for iPhone and iPod Touch, with some good and unique functions allowing even imbeciles like me to make pleasing sounds. Beatmaker is an exceptional sequencer, which will soon be capable of importing the noise we make on noise.ie, and which already has the capacity to import sound from the iPhone built in mic (Touch users, your mileage will vary). These are curently employed to do all sorts of fun things which will probably feed into my podcasts when I resume them. They’re an exceptional way to waste time productively.
