Browsing around on the internet you frequently find very interesting things. One of the more exciting things to find are iPhone applications. Don’t ask me why’I’m just another hopeless Apple fan. Here is a list of a few iPhone applications that I’ve found this month, making my life easier and simply more enjoyable.
REXML could not parse this XML/HTML: <ol> <li> <p><strong>Autodesk SketchBook Mobile Express</strong> -- Free -- <a href="http://usa.autodesk.com/adsk/servlet/pc/item?siteID=123112&id=13872203">Website</a><br />I can’t believe this application is actually free. A digital sketchbook is something every iPhone owner should have. I’m not saying many of you will ever use it. It’s just one of those ???????must have??????? apps.’??????It’s got an intuitive interface without any toolbars at all. Your entire screen becomes a canvas. Tap certain areas to choose your desired options. It’s guaranteed fun for at least five minutes so what are you waiting for?</p> </li> <li> <p><strong>Photoshop Mobile</strong> -- Free -- <a href="http://mobile.photoshop.com/iphone/">Website</a><br /> Let’s face it; the iPhone camera sucks. It’s good enough for limited photography in bright environments when holding it inhumanly steady. For anything else it’s rather depressing. Even at its best, it doesn’t give us the colors that make our photos alive and sparkling.</p> <p>My girlfriend recommended Photoshop Mobile to me. When I asked how much it costed, I couldn’t believe her answer’nada, nothing, zero dollars. It’s incredibly simple to use and it makes iPhone photography rather fun. If you would try only one of the applications I recommend in this article, it should be this one.</p> <p> <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/mrnordstrom/4284490211/" title="Photoshop Mobile by Daniel Nordstrom, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2693/4284490211_b7e957da0a.jpg" width="480" height="320" alt="Photoshop Mobile" /></a> </p> </li> <li> <p><strong>Sleep Cycle</strong> -- $0.99 -- <a href="http://www.lexwarelabs.com/sleepcycle/">Website</a><br /> This is the application that surprised me the most. I’ve been planning to buy a wristband product of this sort but couldn’t believe an iPhone could do this. I read the description. By putting my phone next to me in bed, this application would monitor my sleep pattern. Within a 30 minute time frame that I set before going to bed, it would wake me up at the moment when I’m least tired. Open-minded as I am, I of course had to try it out.</p> <p>To my surprise, it actually works. Not only does it work’it works pretty damn good too. It also gives you a choice of more or less soft and uplifting tones to wake up to. This helps set the mood for a great day to come. The perhaps most interesting part of the application is your sleep statistics. You can see your sleep curves from every night, as well as your average amount of sleep per night.</p> <p>Since I’m not a morning person, this application has become invaluable for me. I will continue using it and have already convinced my girlfriend to purchase it. She likes it and we curiously compare our sleep patterns. It’s interesting. This one is a true bargain and a hidden treasure so if you’re not convinced, please just look at its reviews and you’ll be as excited as me, I’m sure of it.</p> <p> <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/mrnordstrom/4285237180/" title="Sleep Cycle on iPhone by Daniel Nordstrom, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4039/4285237180_7111b1c5ff_o.jpg" width="320" height="480" alt="Sleep Cycle on iPhone" /></a> </p> </li> <li> <p><strong>Instapaper Free</strong> -- Free -- <a href="http://www.instapaper.com/iphone">Website</a><br /> This one has been in the App Store for a while already. I’ve heard about the service several times, wondering what it really does but last week I decided it was time to try it out. Its simple purpose is to save articles and pages for later reading. Personally, I’ve always had a ???????@read??????? folder among my bookmarks for articles I didn’t have time to read at the time. This would be synced conveniently with MobileMe but unfortunately not between browsers. And of course, everyone aren’t Apple geeks with MobileMe subscriptions.</p> <p>Instapaper is simple, flexible and can be used everywhere. It has a <a href="http://www.instapaper.com/extras">bookmarklet</a> so you can save pages smoothly within any web browser. I just installed an <a href="https://chrome.google.com/extensions/detail/fldildgghjoohccppflaohodcnmlacpb">Instapaper extension</a> on Google Chrome for Mac (you need the <a href="http://dev.chromium.org/getting-involved/dev-channel">development version</a> of Chrome). Once I’ve clicked on its button, I can jump on a metro and read the article on my iPhone. No hassle, just simplicity. Exactly like it should be. Assuming of course that T-Mobile NL is in a particularly good mood.</p> </li> <li> <p><strong>Honorable application mentions</strong><br /> Spot number five goes to other applications that I just can’t leave out.</p> <p>I just downloaded <strong>NetNewsWire</strong> (free, <a href="http://www.newsgator.com/Individuals/NetNewsWireiPhone/Default.aspx">website</a>) which syncs RSS feeds seamlessly with my Google Reader account. Having an extension installed in Chrome, I can just click an RSS icon and it’s all there in NetNewsWire on both my Mac and my iPhone.</p> <p><strong>MiniBooks Lite</strong> (free, <a href="http://www.freshbooks.com/minibooks/">website</a>) which syncs with <a href="http://www.freshbooks.com/">Freshbooks</a> is my definite choice for tracking time. As any good web man, all project work is tracked and this application makes it a pleasure. All I need to do is add a timer (which can keep running or be set manually), type a description and submit it’that’s it. It immediately pops up in my reports at Freshbooks.com, ready to be sent to curious clients.</p> <p><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/mrnordstrom/4285225278/" title="MiniBooks Lite by Daniel Nordstrom, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2697/4285225278_ea8ac8b758_o.jpg" width="320" height="480" alt="MiniBooks Lite" /></a></p> <p>That’s not the only thing it can do. You can also view and send invoices and estimations. The Lite version handles up to three clients and unlimited projects while the Pro version allows you to add an unlimited number of clients.’??????</p> <p>Finally, <strong>Analytics Agent Lite</strong> (free, <a href="http://itunes.apple.com/WebObjects/MZStore.woa/wa/browserRedirect?url=itms%253A%252F%252Fitunes.apple.com%252FWebObjects%252FMZStore.woa%252Fwa%252FviewSoftware%253Fid%253D319449785%2526mt%253D8%2526uo%253D2%2526uo%253D2%2526partnerId%253D30%2526partnerId%253D30%2526siteID%253Dh3.Gw.xKpLo-gSCwyxHpxBmVUYCU5UHXfw">App Store</a>) does exactly what I needed it to do; it simply shows me statistics for all my sites in my Google Analytics account. Its icon may not be aesthetically ideal but the app is free and it does the job well’nothing more, nothing less.</p> <p>If I would pay for an analytics app, it would be <strong>Ego</strong> ($1.99, <a href="http://ego-app.com/">website</a>). It has support for several services--Feedburner, Twitter and Vimeo among others--and seems to have a gorgeous user interface and a way better looking icon. However, right now I just want to occasionally see how many visits there have been on my sites, I'll go for a economically logical alternative.</p> </li> </ol>
These are just a few of all the wonderful applications that can be found out there. I’ll likely publish more articles about applications I discover later on. If you use them correctly, having an iPhone really does make your life easier!