The purpose of this post is to write about the applications, or apps, on my iPod Touch. I have owned this little powerhouse for six weeks; not very long, but enough for me to figure out which apps are keepers, which ones might be nice, and the junk ones. First a little introduction to Touch. This device is from the iPod family which is most known for its reputable music players; however, it is much more like an iPhone than an iPod. Touch has all the features of iPhone except phone service, camera, and monthly charge. (The new Touch has a camera.) Touch has wifi and Safari tabbed internet browser.
Like its name, the device is controlled entirely by touch. When needed a keyboard pops up on screen for typing. It has automatic spelling correction which allows fast typing in spite of the small keys. The 3rd generation models are out with storage capacities up to 64 GB. I opted to get a small 8GB 2nd generation, which was $250 less than the 64 GB new model. Installing the 3rd generation operating system software gave me copy-paste and bluetooth capability.
As of September 2009 there were over 100,000 apps available for the Touch. These apps are software programs that do anything from playing games to driving directions to shopping lists. Meet the three groups of apps as categorized by my preference: Keepers, Maybe’s, and The Junk.
Pomodoro Lite This app is simply a 25-minute timer to time tasks throughout the day in accordance with the Pomodoro Technique of time management. The problem with this app is that it won’t multi-task or allow other apps to run while it’s ticking away your life. The person with enough self-discipline to keep this app ticking for a full 25 minutes while accomplishing tasks in an efficient manner is the person who does not need this app to manage his life. I already have an app that has a timer and stopwatch functions, so this app is too limited. Price $0.00
Too Many To List I suspect a large share of the 100,000 apps approved by Apple are worthless to most people, however, having that kind of selection allows you to tailor the apps to your tasks. The real reason I am not listing more of the useless apps is because I don’t have them on Touch anymore…
Grocery G It’s not only a grocery list, but one that I’ve come to appreciate. It’s always in my pocket so when I’m out of milk I can punch it in right then and there. The next time I’m by the store I can check the list just as easily and check items off as I walk the aisles. Some cool features of this app are that it saves my list from week to week and it has a preloaded list of grocery store items (I can also type my own). I add the items to my list and check them off as I put them in my cart. It also sorts items by store aisle and keeps a running total of shopping cart value as items are checked off the list. The next time I run out of bread or milk I uncheck the item from the list. It’s as simple as that. Price $0.00
Skype I use Skype at my desk to make long toll-free calls which lowers my cell phone bill drastically. The Skype app lets me make calls using my Touch as a phone whenever I have wifi internet connection. The downside to this is that a headset is necessary because my version of Touch does not have a built-in mic. New Touch comes with mic. Price $0.00
Labyrinth 3D One of those marble maze games, this one acts just like the real thing. Touch senses when you tip it, and sends the steel marble in the appropriate direction. Price $0.00
Paper Toss Another game that is basic but addicting. Try to toss a wad of paper into a waste basket with a fan blowing at different speeds and directions. Three difficulty levels and cubicle, basement, and airport settings. Price $0.00
Kindle This is the official Kindle app, which allows me to read all the books I have purchased on Amazon and receive newspaper and magazine subscriptions. I currently do not subscribe to any periodicals because I read The New York Times, Washington Post, and Wall Street Journal free with their respective apps. Price $0.00
Mail, Calendar, Tasks These factory installed apps sync with my Gmail account to keep my email, calendar, and task list up-to-date. I can view and enter appointments on Touch and it will sync to Google, which will then sync to Outlook on my desktop, keeping my calendar current no matter which media I use to view it. The task list syncs with Gmail’s task list, nothing very complicated about using it. These apps store data on the Touch so events, tasks, and email is available even without an internet connection. Price $0.00
Facebook I know, it’s sad, but this is one of my regularly used apps. I can view the news feed to kill time, see scheduled events, and send messages wherever I have internet connectivity. Price $0.00
Stocks This is a factory installed app that tracks the stock market and any stocks you enter. It’s powered by Yahoo and works fast and simply. Tap the screen to view change in dollars, percentages, or market cap. Price $0.00
Weather Touch lets me store several locations to view weather; just slide left or right to check out different locations. Price $0.00
Maps Another factory installed app powered by Google Maps. It caches maps along a route so you can view them while driving. It also finds location by internet IP address; helpful if you have wifi but useless while driving. It’s most convenient for mapping a route before leaving on a trip so maps are always available if you need them. Price $0.00
Dian Hua A Chinese dictionary that beats my $40 Palm version by a long shot. Touch easily accommodates Chinese characters and has Pinyin and finger-drawing character input methods. Enter an unknown character and Dian Hua will give a definition, pronunciation, and audio pronunciation if desired. This dictionary is infinitely faster than looking up characters in a paper dictionary. Price $0.00
gNotes Finally, a notebook that syncs real-time with Google Notebook, this notebook allows me to quickly jot down ideas while away from a computer and then pull them up on any computer with internet access. Since they are stored on Google I can access them from any computer. Notes are also stored on Touch so they can be viewed while offline. Price $0.00
Flashlight This is just a blank screen on full brightness that functions like a flashlight when needed. Price $0.00
Alarm Clock This app is awesome. It’s a portable alarm clock that looks just like the real thing. When traveling it’s invaluable for displaying the time all night long and waking me up in the morning. The alarm clock is designed to stay on all night and will not go to ‘sleep’ like most apps do when idle. Price $0.00
Calculator Most devices and phones have calculator and Touch is no exception. Held in the portrait orientation it is a basic calculator, turn it sideways and it flips to a scientific calculator. Price $0.00
Finance Calculator This is a fancy shmancy calculator that lets me do finance and time value of money calculation simply and quickly. Price $0.00
Stanza is an ebook reader that is fast and smart. Simply upload books to the Stanza website and they will convert the book from pdf to epub and email it to your Touch. This service is free and easy to use, even easier than converting the book on a computer and uploading it via USB cable. It is super intuitive and when the pages turn they look like real paper, as can be seen in the screen shot. To turn pages, slide your finger sideways on the screen—to dim or brighten screen slide up or down. I use this reader much more than my Kindle app. Price $0.00
So, there are some ideas of how to use a Touch. For me, it’s almost a laptop replacement because I don’t have to lug the laptop along to keep track of schedule and email during the day. I’m very happy with it so far…