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What's on my iPhone - Home Screen Apps

Being highly selective about the apps that reside on my iPhone, I felt it was time to provide a list of what apps are getting regular use and have found permanent residence on my iPhone. This article is part 1 of a several part series and lists the apps that have Home Screen status; the ones I use all of the time and want/need only a tap away.

1. Twitteriffic (Premium) - I tweet thus this app receives the privileged spot in the lower bar so it is as accessible as possible.
2. OmniFocus - My GTD app and it syncs with my database on the cloud at Mobile Me so updates are shared between my iPhone and Mac.
3. Evernote - My info manager that syncs with the cloud and also has Mac and Windows versions. I use this to capture notes, pics, voice recordings, and any other odd bit pieces of information that I need to store.
4. ShoZu - My interface from the iPhone to flickr that allows upload pictures to the cloud; and subsequent publishing to this blog. One of the cool new features I like about ShoZu is the ability to directly take and upload high-rez pictures (1600x1200) thus overcoming the 640x480 iPhone API limitations.
5. MyWeather - The best weather application available for the iPhone. Traveling and riding motorcycles I am constantly checking the weather, radar, wind conditions, etc., and though this app is $15, I feel they way it leverages the iPhone interface makes this stand out.
6. Yelp - I also Yelp and the iPhone version leverages location services thus wherever I am I can find the best and closest Sushi (or whatever else) place for lunch.
7. Shazam - An app with wow factor that with the tap of button allows recording of any music playing; on the raido, during a TV ad, during a movie, etc. The recorded audio clip is uploaded to the cloud and in return, provides the song name, artist, and album, plus, of course, the ability to buy it from iTunes.
8. Web links to MacRomors.com and Google News which are sites I frequent and are formatted iPhone friendly.

Stay tuned for parts 2 and 3; Other iPhone Apps and Apps in Testing.

Can't should be removed from our vocabulary

Can’t over the years has become the most detested word I hear spoken. Each time someone tells me can’t it invokes deep distain for the situation at hand and is generally to casually uttered in conversation. Example:

I can’t look up your account number

What do you mean you can’t? Let use ponder this. Do you mean you do not want to do [said action], or, possibly are incapable of [said action]? Wait, if you can’t, but I ask someone else standing next to you who can, or call someone who can, or drive down the street to [other business] who can there is a problem.

Can’t is the generic apathetic catch all in the English language for anything that is inconvenient to the said individual at the time. Would this have been better stated as:

I’m sorry, but you really shouldn’t need to…

or

I’m sorry, I’m an idiot and I don’t know how to…

or even

I’m sorry, you are a [explicative noun] and I won’t…

In the above three examples, the elimination of can’t allows us to understand the situation and communicate until we arrive to a positive resolution. Why do we so quickly give up on each other and toss out can’t; are we too lazy, ignorant, or generally unconcerned for mankind that our only option is to provide an answer that is no win for both of us?

The next time you find can’t tossed out in conversation ask yourself if that was in honest answer, answer honestly, and eliminate can’t from your vocabulary; or, fully embrace can’t, don your sweat pants, and proclaim to humanity that you have given up on life.

Thanks for helping out humanity a bit, I feel better now.

Dashbuster - Another Great iPhone App

Dashbuster [App Store Link] is the most recent application I have installed on my iPhone and another example of how the iPhone is disruptive technology.

Dashbuster is another simple, single-purpose applications that has forever altered how I expect to interact with a specific service. This application describes itself as:

… manage your Netflix or Blockbuster queue with speed and simplicity unmatched by any other means…

During Friday night’s visit to Blockbuster I walked the wall and, any movie that looked interesting, quickly searched using Dashbuster, and quickly added that title into my rental queue. Previously I would either jot titles down on my capture device or snap pictures with my iPhone and subsequently enter them into my queue. I’m not a fan of touching information more than once so the direct channel from my iPhone to my queue is extremely useful.

While watching a movie, I found myself grabbing the iPhone, launching Dashbuster, and as the wife or I said “that looks decent,” a simple searching for the movie by name allowed that to be added to my queue.

I now expect this level of interaction with my movie queue and suggest taking at look at this app if you have either a iPhone or iPod Touch and a Netflix or Blockbuster movie queue to manage.