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Alan's List of Best iPhone Apps

Tue, 01 Jul 2008 00:52:11 +0100

After reflashing my iphone a few times recently I've settled on a list of applications that I've deemed useful. I created this list for a coworker a week or so ago but thought it might be useful for someone out in the Internetland.

Tools:
Boss tool � INSTALL THIS FIRST � use it to move your applications, etc. to your main memory and off the systems partition.
Intelliscreen - The tool that allowed me to start using the iPhone again, it adds significant customization to your lock screen, including news, weather, SMS, email, Calendar, etc. and will also periodically remind you of events - such as if you receive a new SMS you can set it to vibrate the phone every five minutes. It is shareware, but well worth it IMO.
Books � E-book reader.
Convert � Unit Converter
Lockbox � password manager
Sendpics � email uncompressed pictures
TimeCapsule � backup utility
Sendsong � Sends songs over email, or moves them to ringtones (must be in a specific format)
Services �turn services on and off
SwirlyMMS � MMS software, I have yet to get it working with Dobson, apparently for AT&T you have to call and ask them to enable MMS on your iPhone account.
VNSea � VNC client
HP-15c / 12c / 16c � calculator emulator.
Yes/No � Makes a decision for you.
Syncstep � Syncronizes the speed of music to your walking pace. I haven't been able to test it yet but it looks promising.
SMBPrefs � Summerboard, Theme customizer for the iPhone
weDict � Stardict reader for the iPhone � I�ve added over 80MB of dictionaries/fact books/encyclopedias to my phone. Tons of info.. even knows what a OC48 and a Tapir is :^)
Respring � resets the springboard (your main interface)
Shutdown � shuts down the phone.
Twinkle - Just added this yesterday, it's a Twitter client that also support pictures. MobileTwitter is also available, but doesn't seem quite as refined.
NemusSync - Syncs your iPhone Calendar OTA with a Google Calendar. By using this in conjunction with Plaxo I have a updated work and home Calendar on my iPhone. It should still be considered Beta but I haven't found any major quirks yet.

Games I have installed - * indicates games that seem to be well suited for the iPhone and work correctly.
*Mahjong - Shanghai, good, but could use a bit of refinement.
Openttd � Transport Tycoon for Tycoon game fans
*Tris � Tetris Clone
Caissa � Chess Program
iCrossword
Domino
*Mines
Dictionary � Scrabble Dictionary
Parking Lot
*HTTouch � Texas Hold'em Poker
Icave - Clone of the original Palm game.
*Five Dice � Yahtzee Clone (Tanya's favorite iphone game)
*Chess � Based on Gnu chess
*Othello
*Puzzlemaniac � lots of little puzzles
*Lexitron � Text Twirl/Twist Clone - quickly becoming Tanya's favorite game
*Gemlogic � Bejeweled/Diamond Mine Clone
*Tap Tap Revolution � Tap to your music.
*iSolitaire - Good iPhone Klondike.
*Poddle � still in beta, but amusing.
Frotz � Z-Game emulator (Zork)
*Sudoku - Good Sudoku Game
*iPhysics � Physics engine that people have used to create games, very nice. Lots of plug-ins available from other sources
iDope � Dope Wars
*iGo � Go for the iPhone
Yeti3d � Doom-style game. Mainly a toy right now.

A side note:
If you owned a iPhone and attempted to hack it many months ago to no avail, or had fear of bricking it - those concerns seem to be largely dead today. Even though the standard disclaimer regarding dead phones comes with any re-flashing of a device the tools today have become pretty damn good as I mentioned in a previous entry. Plus, the software available on hacked iPhones has advanced enough so that I abandoned my previous work phone and am now back to using the iPhone full-time. I you hadn't read my rants about the iPhone before, I have carried it for many months now but had to carry a secondary phone that acted as my calendar since the iPhone wouldn't remind me of appointments, which is one of the things I count on my phone to do.

R.I.P George Carlin

Mon, 23 Jun 2008 22:24:35 +0100

Sad day today, George Carlin has died. Too bad the seven dirty words lived on past him.

Outlook Proxy through OWA Server (No VPN Required for corporate email)

Fri, 20 Jun 2008 07:57:11 +0100

Several months ago while researching new Mac Office features I had seen a Proxy feature mentioned where you could tunnel your Outlook client through a OWA server without having to VPN into your corporate network.

Tonight I tried this out on Outlook 2007 on my PC and it's working great. No VPN required. All I had to do was go into my exchange settings and tell it to proxy through our Outlook Web Access server. Awesome stuff!

If you use Exchange at work and have Outlook 2007 it's definitely worth looking at, I love having my email/calendar/etc. without any VPN connectivity. Plus, this means I'll be able to get to my corporate email using Outlook even when I'm in a location that doesn't allow any VPN connections.

Easiest iPhone Hack/Activate/Installer/Do-It-All Ever

Fri, 20 Jun 2008 03:17:58 +0100

Someone told me a few months back that ZiPhone was an amazing utility. I tried it on my iPhone and can tell you: It is an amazing utility.

Previously I was using Independence, which was quite easy compared to the previous utilities. ZiPhone puts independence to shame, it's serious when it tells you that it is a single-click resource for iPhone hacking.

If you've ever been tempted to hack your iPhone but haven't due to the potentially complex process this is the utility for you. Amazing how simple it is to use.

Beat your Bike with the Ultimate Ugly Stick

Fri, 06 Jun 2008 10:48:14 +0100

My bike is already considered a bit fugly by many people. Now there has been someone that decided to create a canopy accessory that would put it a few notches further over on the ugly scale. Wow.

Superbrace Fork Brace for DL650 V-Strom

Tue, 03 Jun 2008 12:41:16 +0100

Superbrace Fork Brace

What it does: It is a aluminum plate that bridges your two front forks in the middle holding them in place. It�s goal is to stabilize the front end of the motorcycle, providing better tracking and less flexing in the fork.

Installation: Easy and quick. 10-15 minutes from pulling it out of the package to having it installed.

Why did I pick it up?: I was skeptical of this product but after reading other people�s reviews and finding a good deal I decided to try it, especially with the addition of more weight on the back of my bike in the form of panniers since people had reported that their front ends in some cases would start to get squirrely after adding panniers.

My opinion: This is now my single highest regarded modification. The handling difference is pronounced and immediate. The front end of the bike feels much more substantial, like it wants to track straight now. It reacts faster, tighter and stays going in the direction I point it. Amazing how a small piece of aluminum can make such a difference.

Words of Wisdom from Unbeatable Banzuke

Thu, 29 May 2008 11:37:46 +0100

It's not often I expect nuggets of wisdom from prime time TV shows but today on Unbeatable Banzuke it was different. During a stilt walking competition (yes, stilts) a guy fell off the track and failed right before the finish line.

They asked him as he laid on the ground "Why did you fail?", he replied "I had my eyes on the finish line rather than the path directly in front of me."

And those my friends are the wisest words I have heard today.

Drunk while Driving in Grand Theft Auto IV

Wed, 28 May 2008 10:05:34 +0100

Over at Kotaku they saw fit to find out if drunk driving in GTA IV was the same as Drinking then Driving in GTA IV.

The video is a bit graphic and not suitable for work. If you need to hide in your cube and want to watch it turn off the sound, then imagine the person playing the game after drinking as inserting random obscenities with increasing frequency after each round of drinking.

Instant Netflix Media Streaming Appliance

Tue, 27 May 2008 06:02:49 +0100

A week or two ago while watching Instant Netflix (my new source of passive entertainment when I'm finding myself with rerun documentaries on the TV I saw a ad for this device. It is a streaming device for Instant Netflix made by Roku, who has been making network media players for years. It's $100 but if you watch enough instant netflix it is probably worth it.

From the pictures it appears to have all the necessary ports to connect it to just about any home entertainment system (HDMI, Component, optical and analog audio, Svideo, etc.) and advertises to support full 480p resolution (DVD) for video.

I can testify to the quality of Instant Netflix video quality from a PC, I'm assuming this would be equivalent.

Anyway, it might be a devie that one day is worth investment, but for now I'll keep using the PC that hides behind my flatscreen.

Tank Slapper

Sun, 25 May 2008 07:28:36 +0100

A Tank Slapper is when your front handlebars on a bike start to oscillate back and forth with an increasing level of force each time. If it sounds dangerous, it is. While looking for information on other topics I ran acrossthis website in a forum post over on the Stromtrooper forums. The website linked not only describes the situation, but also links to a video where you can see it occurring. Scary stuff.