The iPhone Appstore now has a little app that tells you how much time is left in your MiFi battery. It is free and simple to use. Just sign into your MiFi and punch the MiFi App to get all the gory details. While the screen display is nothing to write home about and I’d prefer something a bit more specific than just the four bars for battery life, it does provide critical information and the App is free.
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I’m not exactly sure how it happened, but somewhere in the unwritten book of software pricing it is decreed that developers can charge hundreds of dollars for mind map applications. I’m not exactly sure why. Perhaps it is all of those features I never use or maybe it is just because “mind map” just sounds sexy. Either way, it usually is a pretty expensive investment. The exception is MindNode which comes in two flavors, a free version and a Pro version that costs all of $15. I started using MindNode about a year ago and really like it. I don’t develop complex mind maps. I use them to tame the seemingly random firing synapses. For this, MindNode Pro is perfect.
The good news is that now I can carry it in my pocket. I’ve been using the MindNode touch app on my iPhone for the last several days and am really pleased. Creation and editing of nodes is intuitive and easy. The canvas grows to match your mind map. Best of all, it imports and exports to the desktop application. If you are already a MindNode user, this one is a no-brainer. If not, now is the time to take a look.
While I stink at most arcade games, if I get anywhere near an air hockey table, look out! I monopolize the table, show no mercy to my opponents, and pucks are likely to fly just about anywhere. Nobody is safe within 20 feet of that table. That is why I’m pleased to announce BrainJuice, (the same guys that make the popular Mac blogging application, Blogo) have released their own iPhone air-hockey game, Arcade Hockey, and it is a blast. Playing iPhone air hockey certainly is a good way to spend Labor Day.
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Several times I’ve had need of a dictionary on my iPhone but, alas, dictionary applications are unusually expensive. Yesterday I again found need for a dictionary and decided it was time to bite the bullet. I went snooping in the App Store and was surprised to find an excellent (and free) dictionary application from Dictionary.com.
I’ve only been using it a few days but I really like it. Did I mention it is free? If you’ve been waiting for a dictionary application, check this one out.
In celebration of the Super Bowl, the gang over at touchGrove have made their excellent retro game, LED Football, free for the weekend. As I’ve explained before, I like this game a lot. Now is your chance to get it for free.
I wrote about LED Football awhile back. I explained how much I loved that game as it took me back my favorite handheld of all time, my trusty Mattel Football. What I didn’t talk about was the sequel, Football 2. This follow up handheld added passing and the ability to run backward. It was like taking your favorite food and pouring on extra chocolate. I didn’t have one back in the day but boy did I sure want it. Now you can have it on your iPhone for just 99 cents.
I’m trying to figure out if these retro games are just something for people of my generation or if everyone likes them. Regardless, I keep both versions of LED Football on my iPhone at all times. They are both some of my favorite “go to” time wasters. Check it out.
I wrote earlier about typing iPhone email in landscape mode. Since that time, I’ve upgraded to a similar “paid” application, EasyWriter Pro. The improved version costs $2.99. For the equivalent of a small bag of chips, you get several additional features including a spell checker, email favorites, and and text snippets for frequently used text. The spell check and snippet functions put this application above the rest. If you frequently find yourself emailing your pizza order with a triple order of Jalapeno peppers, you can simply save it as a snippet and order your fireball pizza with a few key clicks.
Once the email is complete, you tap the “Send to Mail” button and EasyWriter Pro drops it in for you, ready to go. It is remarkable to me that Apple never upgraded its iPhone mail application to rotate to landscape for easier typing. With EasyWriter Pro, that itch can be scratched immediately.
Again the iPhone developer community thrusts me back in time! Peter Hirschberg recently released the free application, Adventure. This is a faithful recreation of the old Atari 2600 game. I was 11 when the game released and spent countless hours, as a dot, negotiating catacombs and avoiding dragons, that looked a lot like ducks, in search of glory. In 1979, this game was “sweet.” This was also the first game where I discovered an easter egg. I’m not sure how entertaining this free application would be to anyone who wasn’t “there” in 1979. I even have my doubts as to how much time I’ll be playing it, but I LOVE that somebody made it.
The much lamented failure to include a voice dialer on the iPhone is cured with the free application, Say Who. After installing and loading you get a simple screen that asks you to hold a button and say a name or phone number.
It then works flawlessly. The only downside is the delay to initiate the microphone when you first turn it on (it takes about 5 seconds on my 1st gen iPhone) and the physical process of holding down the button while saying the name. This is certainly possible while driving, but not preferable. All things considered, this free application is a must have.
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