Monthly Archives: September 2009
Super Cool Free iPhone Download
From time to time we have done a post on a cool free iPhone App that has been developed to really take advantage of the networking capabilities of the iPhone. We posted about the Eat Well Guide, for example.
The latest one to take our fancy is called Outbreaks Near Me! The App was developed at the Children’s Hospital in Boston and the Harvard Medical School and is designed to collect reports from the public about new outbreaks of infectious diseases. Then, in collaboration with Health Map, it will help to track the spread of infectious diseases like the H1N1 virus and West Nile virus.
TextExpander touch on sale to celebrate WriteRoom for iPhone integration
When TextExpander touch for the iPhone was announced, one of the exciting aspects was the SDK to allow other developers to integrate TextExpander’s technology into their iPhone apps.
The new version of WriteRoom for iPhone now includes TextExpander support. With this announcement, SmileOnMyMac has announced that they will be selling TextExpander touch for $1.99 until September 30 at 12 noon Pacific Time, a 60% discount off the regular price of $4.99.
WriteRoom for iPhone 2.1 includes other updates as well, as noted on the development blog:
TUAW and Mophie team up for a great giveaway
You remember Mophie’s Juice Pack Air, don’t you? It’s a cool little “backpack” battery for the iPhone 3G and 3GS that adds life to your talking, texting, gaming, video, music, or surfing fun. We gave one away back in June, and it was a very popular giveaway.
Now Mophie has added a new product line, the Hip Holster series. These are padded premium leather holsters just the size to hold an iPhone dressed in a Juice Pack or Juice Pack Air. Each Hip Holster is priced at US$29.95, and they’re available now through Mophie’s website.
Mophie and TUAW would like to give away a matched set — one Juice Pack Air and one Hip Holster — to one lucky reader. You can enter the drawing by leaving us a single comment below; tell us what will you do with the extra battery power you’ll get from the Mophie Juice Pack Air.
Geology app puts mountains of info in the palm of your hand
I always loved geology and geography when I was in school and have kept up my interest over the years. Living in Arizona, we’ve got plenty of interesting geography, from mountains and deserts to fascinating road cuts and huge canyons that reveal geologic ages gone by.
Now, someone has created what I would say is the ultimate app for Geography/Geology amateurs and professionals.
I’ve been using Geology AZ, [iTunes link] which for US$4.99 overlays a whole lot of information on a basic map of the state. You can add town and cities, roads, counties; you know, the usual stuff you find on maps. Then you can dive much, much deeper, with maps of new and old fault areas, earthquake sites, old and current mines, public lands, fire history, and nicely rendered terrain elevation maps. I’m just scratching the surface here, so to speak. You can go to the developer web site and get a lot more information about what is available.
First Look: Zipcar app for iPhone hits the road
The company’s teaser page still says “coming soon,” but eagle-eyed reader Jason spotted the free Zipcar app [iTunes link] in the store today. We’ve been waiting for this app for quite a while, and it’s exciting to see it in action.
The app provides Zipcar members with a location-based search for nearby Zipcar locations, allowing them to drill down to the individual garages via a map view. Reserving a car is as easy as clicking one big green button, and the app allows you to sort available cars by time, type and model to make it easier to find the one you want. You can see your upcoming reservations and cancel a car if you don’t need it after all.
Once you get to your car, you can use the virtual keyfob to help find it in the garage by honking the horn (nice touch); while you still need to use your RFID-equipped Zipcard to activate the car’s remote unlock and ignition system, once you do that at the beginning of your reservation you can put it back in your wallet and use the iPhone to lock and unlock the car. You can also extend your reservation from the iPhone app, as long as there’s open time after your slot ends.