AppTalk

Before AppTalk, when I and a bunch of other co-workers first got iPhones, I set up an online support group so we could share tips and apps.


Here are a few with staying power:

• When you simultaneously press the iPhone’s home button at the bottom of the screen and the power button on the top, it takes a screenshot of whatever is on the screen at the time and saves that into your iPhone photo gallery. Then you can share that photo like any other from the iPhone.

• The iPhone Help file is pre-bookmarked as a favorite in Safari (as is the Apple App website).

• One of the things that I've found the most irritating about this phone is this: When you connect to your computer, your default photo program (in my case, Picasa) opens, or you get the window asking what application you want to use for the photos on your "camera." Especially when I plug in at work, I have no interest in importing ANY photos.
  I finally decided to find out how to stop that process. If you share my frustration, here's the solution:
  1. Connect your phone to your computer.
  2. Go to My Computer, and right-click on the iphone icon.
  3. Choose Properties.
  4. Choose the Events tab
  5. Click "Take no Action."
  6. Click OK.
  So much better!

• Wow. Point your mobile web browser to books.google.com/m and you can read full books on your portable device. According to The Globe and Mail, Google is making 1,500,000 books, most from the public domain, freely available to you. I tested Google’s mobile books on the iPhone,
  and it looks really good.

• Thinking about a Kindle? Think again--your iPhone may be all the reader you need. Check out this site for a good introduction: http://www.pbs.org/mediashift/2009/02/your-guide-to-e-books043.html.

• What apps do you like for toddlers and children? The ones listed below have received the seal of approval from my two-year-old niece Ava. Do you know of any others?
  
  
  • Toddler Flash Cards: 7 categories (foods, animals, things, alphabet, numbers, shapes, and colors). English, French, and Spanish
  • Voice Toddler Cards: Lets you record whats on the flash card in your own voice! If you prefer the card's voice, you can opt for English or Spanish
  • Scribble Lite: Draw whatever you want (even on photos), using different colors, pens sizes--then just shake to erase and start again.
  • ABC Animals (with sound and printing practice).
  • Of course, she also likes "grown-up" games like Paper Toss and Flick Bowling!
  • MiniPiano!! Awesome, and totally

• Ron: Dial Zero: Cut out the recording middle man--go straight to a live person at scores of customer service phone numbers.

• Jim: Drync: Find a wine, Drink a wine, Everywhere a wine-wine!

• Ron: NPR Addict: Your favorite NPR shows streaming to an iPhone near you! (Also check out iTunes podcasts for This American Life--currently number 2 on the overall popularity list!)

• Jim: iTunesU: Don't like any of our favs? Then design an app yourself, wise guy, but first take this popular course from Stanford.

• Ron: Camera Zoom 2: With Camera Zoom, you can now zoom in and out in real-time when taking pictures, by just simply moving the slider. It also lets you take pictures by pressing the volume up/down button on the side of your iPhone.

• Ron: Where's the Train? (free). OK,  it's not really an app, but it's a great site that tells you when the next Metrorail train is due at any station.

• Jim: Red Laser ($1.99): Turns your iPhone into a  barcode scanner. Scan any barcode using your iPhone camera, and the app tells you all the sites you can buy the item, and the price at each.

• Ron: Dinner Spinner (free): Pick a meal course, a main ingredient, and a time frame, and  let the Dinner Spinner do the rest!

• Jim: Reqall (free):  Dictate a reminder to Reqall using your iPhone (or any phone, for that matter), and watch it turn into a text email!

• Ron: Sportacular (free): Rated best app for sports scores and updates.

• Jim: MLB At Bat 2009 UPDATE: Now better (and more expensive) for 2010; see 3/31/10 post. Audio feeds of every game, and at least one free video feed per day!