iPhone/iPod touch Must Have Apps

[Pagal4321]

iFitness is a cool little app for people who don't know much about what to do at the gym.

[Russic]

Guitar players that use tabs should really look at TabToolkit from the makers of GuitarToolkit. It has a built in browser that recognizes tabs and downloads them to the application (even guitar pro type files). It can also receive tabs from your computer over a wifi network. Cost is $10.

[worth]

Hoes does my touch know where I am?

I used it yesterday for directions when I had a wireless connection, then I was looking at it in the car and it updated my position with the blue crosshairs and it freaked me out cause I was driving and did have a wireless connection. I figured it must be able to locate itself off of any wireless signal it receives, even locked and encrypted networks?

[photon]

It's a technology called Skyhook, uses wifi networks to locate you.. I was going to say it wouldn't work with encrypted networks but it actually might.

http://www.skyhookwireless.com/

[sclitheroe]

Originally Posted by photon

It's a technology called Skyhook, uses wifi networks to locate you.. I was going to say it wouldn't work with encrypted networks but it actually might.

http://www.skyhookwireless.com/

It's interesting because it works WITH encrypted networks, but doesn't necessarily USE them. In other words, it can detect and calculate proximity info from the presence of encrypted networks nearby the Touch, but it needs an active network connection to talk to Skyhook and get your location. So if you are surrounded by encrypted networks none of which you can connect to, Skyhook won't work...but find one unencrypted one, and you are good to go.

[worth]

That is really cool and I had no idea it worked like that. Thanks for the info guys.

[sclitheroe]

Also, you can help improve the accuracy of Skyhook by submitting the locations of wifi hotspots that you have accurate info for, by going here: http://www.skyhookwireless.com/howitworks/submit_ap.php

It takes about a week for the data to work its way into their database, but I noticed an improvement in accuracy once I submitted my home AP.

[Russic]

Ouch. TomTom announces car kit prices for the USA. $120 US, which with the app comes to $220, which takes it to $250 for us north of the border.

Now kermitology is going to make fun of me even harder if I buy it.

[kermitology]

Originally Posted by Russic

Ouch. TomTom announces car kit prices for the USA. $120 US, which with the app comes to $220, which takes it to $250 for us north of the border.

Now kermitology is going to make fun of me even harder if I buy it.

I seriously think you can get a cheaper unit that works better and doesn't have the same limitations as the iPhone environment does if you bought an OEM unit.

I prefer the OEM unit to what the iPhone can deliver. There are just too many points of failure for my comfort.

[Titan]

Originally Posted by kermitology

I seriously think you can get a cheaper unit that works better and doesn't have the same limitations as the iPhone environment does if you bought an OEM unit.

I prefer the OEM unit to what the iPhone can deliver. There are just too many points of failure for my comfort.

Thoughtful discussion of the pros and cons will not do.

Commence mocking his inability to resist shiny toys with fruit emblazoned.

[Russic]

Originally Posted by kermitology

I seriously think you can get a cheaper unit that works better and doesn't have the same limitations as the iPhone environment does if you bought an OEM unit.

I prefer the OEM unit to what the iPhone can deliver. There are just too many points of failure for my comfort.

I absolutely agree that a standalone unit would work better, but my problem has always been that I don't want another device. I want it integrated into my phone. The question is do I want it bad enough to pay out the ass for it. Haven't decided.

[kermitology]

Originally Posted by Russic

I absolutely agree that a standalone unit would work better, but my problem has always been that I don't want another device. I want it integrated into my phone. The question is do I want it bad enough to pay out the ass for it. Haven't decided.

Except if you think about it, you have another device that you slap onto the iPhone that will be of lesser quality than even some of the cheaper stuff that TomTom, Garmin, Magellan produce.

It's not "integrated" into the phone. You have to see that! In order to make it halfway decent, you have to use another device connected to your iPhone, and that's probably going to be cumbersome!

I'm just looking out for your wallet man.

[nickerjones]

Originally Posted by Russic

Ok who bought it?

guilty as charged.

[nickerjones]

Originally Posted by oilers_fan

Have you seen people use an actual sky caddy? Does it compare at all to that?

I have a sky caddy... It doesnt give you an actual satellite image of where you are.... You have to load/download the maps onto the sky caddy. The sky caddy shows you a layout of the hole and distances to the landmarks ( i.e. hazrds, green, etc.) from where you are on the course. Very generic Display.

[Russic]

Originally Posted by kermitology

Except if you think about it, you have another device that you slap onto the iPhone that will be of lesser quality than even some of the cheaper stuff that TomTom, Garmin, Magellan produce.

It's not "integrated" into the phone. You have to see that! In order to make it halfway decent, you have to use another device connected to your iPhone, and that's probably going to be cumbersome!

I'm just looking out for your wallet man.

Except that I'd leave the dock attached to the windshield. If I bought a standalone unit I wouldn't want to leave it in the car, but the windshield dock ... that can stay.

[Pagal4321]

What's this I'm hearing about an iPhone equivalent to BlackBerry Messenger.....does something like this actually exsist?

[kermitology]

Originally Posted by Russic

Except that I'd leave the dock attached to the windshield. If I bought a standalone unit I wouldn't want to leave it in the car, but the windshield dock ... that can stay.

But it's a GPS receiver in the dock. IT'S THE SAME DAMN THING EFFECTIVELY!! I FEEL LIKE I'M TAKING CRAZY PILLS!!

Hahaha.

It's your money man, but I wouldn't. It just doesn't make enough sense to me. Think about how often you'd use it too. Do you take a lot of drives outside of the city?

[sclitheroe]

Originally Posted by Russic

Except that I'd leave the dock attached to the windshield. If I bought a standalone unit I wouldn't want to leave it in the car, but the windshield dock ... that can stay.

Except that the GPS dock for the iPhone is almost as much as a standalone unit, so it will be just as theft worthy, maybe more since anyone with an iPhone can make immediate use of it....just sayin...

[jeremywilhelm]

Originally Posted by Pagal4321

What's this I'm hearing about an iPhone equivalent to BlackBerry Messenger.....does something like this actually exsist?

it's called ping! and it works pretty well. Doesnt use up any of your MMS or text messaged for your plan. I downloaded it last night and it works pretty well. It just pushes the messages to your phone.

Not 100% on how exactly it works, but it works and its free and i like it.

[Russic]

Originally Posted by kermitology

But it's a GPS receiver in the dock. IT'S THE SAME DAMN THING EFFECTIVELY!! I FEEL LIKE I'M TAKING CRAZY PILLS!!

Hahaha.

It's your money man, but I wouldn't. It just doesn't make enough sense to me. Think about how often you'd use it too. Do you take a lot of drives outside of the city?

Think of it this way ... what you're doing now is very similar to having a debate with a crack head. i know it's stupid and I shouldn't do it ... but it's crack man! It is a good point that the dock unit is probably just as desirable to steal as anything else, so I would have to consider that.

You're also right that it wouldn't get used a ton as I'm not a heavy traveler. You are getting through to me, so don't feel like you're talking to a brick wall. When I get into these mindsets it's very hard to steer me out of them.