I’ve upgraded my iPhone (EDGE) to v2 firmware and updated iTunes to 7.7 and then checked out the App Store. Thoughts so far on the firmware and the apps:
- Push email from MobileMe is great. I may have to forward mail from my usual address to the .Mac account.
- Multiple email deletion and moving is very nice. I use SpamAssassin on my mail server and have scripts to populate the corpus from my junk mail folder. This makes it so much easier to move emails into that folder.
- Push options for MobileMe have Mail, Calendar, and Bookmarks set On by default. Contacts were not.
- Contacts are now a separate icon on the iPhone screen.
- Password entry now shows the character you’ve typed for a brief moment to improve accuracy.
- OmniFocus for the iPhone is just awesome. I’ll post more on this one after playing with it for a while. It is a $19.99 application from the Store.
- The Facebook app won’t connect. My guess is that the Facebook servers won’t be “open” until tomorrow.
- Loopt is well worth the free download if you are into location-aware social networking apps. If you want to add me, drop me a line. All my current Loopt friends are in CA, which makes this less than useful right now.
- NetNewsWire is a free app which makes this a must-have for any RSS junky. I’ve been using the iPhone-optimized mobile site for NNW as it syncs status (read, unread, clipped) with the desktop client. It’s free - what more do you want?
- Pownce mobile client is not as good as I would like to see. The time to load seems a bit long.
There also seems to be an issue with sending a photo you have taken with the camera with the app - I can not attach text.According to the Twitterific dev, this is an Apple bug. - SplashID is an app I always bought on my Windows Mobile and Palm phones. I will have to see how this version compares. This app is $9.99
- Twitterific is one of the apps Apple keeps showcasing. It also allows posting of photos as well as geolocation. Free, if you don’t mind the ads.
- Twitterlator is another Twitter app. One cool thing about this app is an emergency feature that will tag location and then blast out a Tweet. Honestly, I would call 911, but I guess I am old-fashioned.
- WeatherBug - free, weather, maps.
- AOL Radio - another great application. If you are in a WiFi-covered area, and presumably in a 3G area (with some way to charge your battery later), this is a great way to listen to music not in your list. I use the desktop app to listen to the Baroque station and am glad to see it is on the mobile app as well. The broadcasts do have an occasional advertisement, but not at all intrusive. It is free, so download it already.
- AIM - does not seem to work for me. I am online, but my buddy list is empty. In any case, waiting for an app that will use Apple’s tickle servers will be easier on your battery.
- Apple Remote - control your Mac and TV with your iPhone. This one is wicked.
That is it so far - I am sure I will have more after this weekend.
