# Just Got An iPhone, What Apps Should I Download?



## Steve Mehs (Mar 21, 2002)

After two years of bashing the thing, I bought a iPhone yesterday. I only got the 8GB model, as I know rumors have it that a new one will be out in a few months and I have every intention of getting the new model when it comes out, so I saw no need in spending the extra $100 for a 16GB model at this time, but I had to have the iPhone NOW. I'm not using the thing as a phone, I'm keeping my Nextel service for that, I'm not using it as an iPod as I have a 120GB iPod Classic for that, I'm using it as a mobile internet device. And so far I am loving it! 

Since I'm not using the thing for it's two main purposes and really have no intention to, I want to put my $200 toy and the $70/month I pay for the privilege to use the thing to good use by downloading as many useful applications as possible. What are some good ones out there that you guy recommend? Free or paid I don't care. I'm really interested in a good GPS app with voice dictation.

So far I have:
Shazam - Never know when you need to find out the name of a song
Sportacular - All the NFL, NHL and MLB score I need updated every 30 secs
TV.com - Found the app useless, but I like TV.com
Wikimo - Quick way to access the Wikipedia
iStethoscope - A Must have for listening in on other peoples conversations
Flashlight - Lame yet handy
Zippo Lighter - Stupid fun
Mobile News - Quick news from the AP
FSS Hockey - Addicting Air Hockey Game
Urbanspoon - The commercial made me get it
Fox Sports - Sports news at a glance
Check Please - Tip generator, might be better ones out there

I'm looking for some more, as I said a decent GPS app would be great, I'll probably download Where's My Car? for a buck and a better weather app would be cool. 

And any recommendations for jailbroken applications? I have every intention to jailbrake my iPhone. A friend of mine was able to turn his camera into a video camera, I'm planning on getting that as soon as I jailbreak.


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## mstanka (Jan 26, 2003)

Congrats on the purchase of your iPhone. I love mine and would not change now.

For the weather app, I use the Weather Channel's app. It is free and much better than the Apple app. I used the Weather Bug one for a little while but once the Weather Channel one was released, I switched over.

I also jail broke my phone and the best app that I got from doing that is called iBlacklist. It allows you to block calls and SMS, amound other things. Features that are not available natively on the phone or with ATT.

You can also change the theme, and add in some games etc via the jailbreak.

I hope that this helps.

Michael.


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## funhouse69 (Mar 26, 2007)

I was a long, long time Verizon user and was very reluctant to switch but I hated their "Web Browser" if you can even call it that. So I finally bit the bullet. I wasn't thrilled with the service / reception at first but after the various patches came out I've had much better luck and would be hard pressed to switch back unless of course Verizon offered the iPhone on their network 

With that said I've had mine iPhone 3G since July and I've been through lot apps and I've settled on a few that I use quite often. I know that this is subjective as everyone has different likes / hobbies and all but here's my list.

For Weather a I actually use both Weatherbug and The weather Channel App
Mobile News & USA Today - For local and national news
Check Please - A cool Tip Calculator
MPG - Fuel Mileage Calculator (Not Free)
Flixster - Best Movie Time App I've found so far and I've used several
Wikipanion - Easy Access to Wiki
Shazam - Cool music identification app
Hold'Em - Best Texas Hold'em app (Not Free) 
Yellow Pages - Easily find #'s and addresses
ebay - links in to your e-bay site
Urban Spoon - Like a slot machine for locating local eats
Local Picks & Near and Now - Also a cool eats apps
Sportstacular - Best Sports Score app I've found to date
Video Poker


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## Steve Mehs (Mar 21, 2002)

Thanks, I just downloaded The Weather Channel App, and it is much better than the stock weather app. Also downloaded Where's My Car, I'll have to play with that tomorrow. Flixter is pretty cool as well. Anyone use Tip Calculator that costs $0.99? That one looks a little better then CheckPlease.

Also anyone have problems configuring email from their ISP? I had no problem setting up my Yahoo account, but when I set up my Road Runner email on the iPhone, I can receive my mail with no problems, I can't send, it gives me an SMTP error, the SMTP server I connect to is smtp-server.rochester.rr.com, and I have it entered correctly.

Michael, what did you use to jailbreak your phone? My buddy used Cydia and that's what I'll probably use as well. And yes the themes are great, my buddy installed a Windows Vista theme on his that looks cool. This may sound stupid, but how do you put your own wallpaper on? I'd like to replace the Earth with a Sabres logo or something and I'm not too keen on any of the other ones included with the phone. I hope a simple task like that doesn't require jailbreaking

And one other question, is it possible to synch both an iPhone and iPod up to the same computer? Right now I have my iPod synched up on my new computer and my iPhone on the old computer. I know technically you can't synch up two iPods unless you do the workaround and set up different playlists and all that, which I don't want to deal with, especially since I'm not using it for music, but being two different devices does that make any difference.


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## funhouse69 (Mar 26, 2007)

The problem you are having with your Road Runner e-mail is that they have their e-mail server set up that you have to be on their network to send e-mail. This is to help prevent SPAM. There probably isn't a work around for it, you will have to find another e-mail server that you can use to send it from but that can also present "Relay" Problems. 

I have my iPod and my iPhone sync on the same computer but as you mentioned without doing a little more work it isn't easy to get either an iPod or an iPhone to sync to two computers at the same time.


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## smiddy (Apr 5, 2006)

http://www.collegehumor.com/video:1766423


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## Grentz (Jan 10, 2007)

BJ Run lite - Really addictive game
Labyrinth Lite Edition - Game that really shows off the accelerometer 
reMovem (free) - Another fun addicitive game
Pandora Radio - Same as the website, just mobile (plays related music based on a single artist or song you specify)
Weather Bug - I like it the most out of the free weather apps
eBay - Great for looking at auctions and bidding


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## HDJulie (Aug 10, 2008)

My husband & I each have the iPhone & a Nano iPod & both of us sync them to the same computers (we each have our own computer). Actually, my mother has both as well. We've never had any problems. However, none of us has jailbroken the phone. Would that make a difference?


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## Ron Barry (Dec 10, 2002)

Game wise. FieldRunners.


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## rudeney (May 28, 2007)

Steve Mehs said:


> Also anyone have problems configuring email from their ISP? I had no problem setting up my Yahoo account, but when I set up my Road Runner email on the iPhone, I can receive my mail with no problems, I can't send, it gives me an SMTP error, the SMTP server I connect to is smtp-server.rochester.rr.com, and I have it entered correctly.


As funhouse69 pointed out, this is a RoadRunner issue. Most ISP's do not allow what is called "SMTP relay". What this means is they will only allow you to send mail on their outgoing SMTP server if you are connected via their network. Since AT&T is your "ISP" on the iPhone, RoadRunner sees your IP address as not being one of theirs and therefor won't relay mail from that "foreign" address, even though you have a valid userid and password. The way to get around it is to use an SMTP server provided by AT&T wireless. I believe the server name for them is "cwmx.com". Try that in place of the RoadRunner SMTP address. You shouldn't need it to supply any userid or password because you are authenticated automatically through your phone number. Of course you can specify any "from" e-mail address you want.


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## Stewart Vernon (Jan 7, 2005)

I haven't downloaded many apps yet myself. Still testing the waters and only have had it for a couple of weeks now.

A local channel here (WRAL) has a nice free app for their news and weather, so I use that most of the time since it is more oriented to the local weather. It might be worth checking to see if a local channel in your area does the same thing.

I also downloaded the Amazon app. It is a little easier to use than going through the Web browser... and there is a test feature where you can take a picture of something and they have folks waiting to look at your picture and try to find it for sale on Amazon somewhere for you! I keep meaning to try that and see what happens.


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## dennisj00 (Sep 27, 2007)

Free apps, NPR and FStream, are both streaming radios. . . FStream is the first free app I've found that let's you provide your own station URLs.

Google Earth and the Bubble (iHandy) Level -- amazing that some of the reviewers thought it was a lame game -- to easy to get the bubble in the center! They didn't realize it's actually a level!

It takes a while but peruse the free categories.


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## mstanka (Jan 26, 2003)

Steve Mehs said:


> Thanks, I just downloaded The Weather Channel App, and it is much better than the stock weather app. Also downloaded Where's My Car, I'll have to play with that tomorrow. Flixter is pretty cool as well. Anyone use Tip Calculator that costs $0.99? That one looks a little better then CheckPlease.
> 
> Also anyone have problems configuring email from their ISP? I had no problem setting up my Yahoo account, but when I set up my Road Runner email on the iPhone, I can receive my mail with no problems, I can't send, it gives me an SMTP error, the SMTP server I connect to is smtp-server.rochester.rr.com, and I have it entered correctly.
> 
> ...


I used a program called "QuickPWN". That is the program that is used to jailbreak the phone. The program Cydia that you are refering to is installed at the time that the phone is jailbroken.
It is the jailbreak version of Apple's AppStore. Another one is also installed called Installer. It is not as good as most developers are programing for Cydia.
You do not need to jailbreak the phone to change the logo on the lock screen. I am a Nashville Predators fan and have their logo on my lock screen. I just found the logo using Google images and synced it using iTunes.
Then on the phone go into Pictures and there is an option to set as Wallpaper.
Now once you jailbreak it and install a theming app called Winterboard... you will be able to have your logo behind all the apps. I don't like that because it is too cluttered, in my opinion.


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## dreadlk (Sep 18, 2007)

Steve a couple of things you should know. 

If your iphones Modem firmware (Settings - General - About) is at 3.0 or greater you can't do a clean Jailbreak using Yellowsn0w. You will have to use a SIM adapter ($20 on ebay). If you try to use Yellowsn0w with Modem Firmware that is anything other than 2.28.00 you will proably mess up your phone. If it's below 2.28 you can upgrade it to 2.28 using quickPawn and then Jail break it with Yellowsn0w. 

App store Software I Like

USA Today
Visual Radio
iConvert (Very handy)
WiFinder
Public Radio
Whats On
Radar Motion (Weather Radar on Phone)
Fast Lane (Great Game)
Bejeweled 2 (Game)

Jailbroken Software I use:
Cycorder (Video Recorder)
xGPS (GPS Road Navigation with Voice)
iBlacklist (Call Screener)


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## Steve Mehs (Mar 21, 2002)

The ISP authentication thing didn't dawn on me until after I typed my previous post. And the thing is I never realized ISPs did that until a few days ago when it was mentioned on Leo LaPorte's Tech Guy Podcast. And that must be it as I just sent some test emails while on wifi and it worked without a problem. Go figure. I'll try the work around, but here's a unique related question that I'll throw out there. Time Warner is different from other providers in that they are extremely regionalized. If I'm out and about let's say in Syracuse or Erie, PA and I'm connected via wifi to a network that has Time Warner as the ISP, will authentication be an issue since the SMTP I'm trying to connect to is rochester.rr.com as opposed to what these area's normally see, cny.rr.com in the case or Syracuse or neo.rr.com in the case of Erie. I'm not sure how this works, it's all the same ISP all IPs will obviously trace back to Road Runner, but different regions with different domains. 

On an apps note, downloaded Amazon, I love it! Also changed the wallpaper on the lock screen, I didn't think it would be that easy.

Modem firmware version is 2.30.03, after looking around, it appears I'm SOL for the time being. Cycorder is the program my buddy uses for video, pretty cool app. It's a shame how much Apple locks down their products for their own greed.


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## Stewart Vernon (Jan 7, 2005)

I downloaded the free Google Earth app tonight. Very similar to the same program for the computer, on a much smaller screen of course 

I also saw a few 99-cent games to try out with Zombie themes... and bought Virtual Pool for 99-cents as well. Got a few freebies as well, some trials that you can buy full versions if you like the game. Hard to argue against free trials to see what is what.

Since I don't have an iPod or other similar devices... I also loaded mine up with some music recently.


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## Sharkie_Fan (Sep 26, 2006)

I have an app that I use quite frequently called "Ootunes". It allows you to play different radio station streams.

Years ago there were a couple of "shock jock" type DJs that had a show on a local station. They moved on to San Francisco, and I've been unable to hear their show in the years since that move. With ootunes, I can play the live stream from their website and listen to their show. The radio station the Sharks are broadcast on comes in really lousy in/around my house, so I use the app to play that station for games that aren't on TV, or for which I'm away from the TV!

I also have one called Fex (I think - I don't have my phone in front of me) that syncs info & photos from my Facebook friends into the phone book. It doesn't do phone numbers, but it's nice to have the photos.

Winterboard is fantastic if you opt to jailbreak the phone.

Yelp is another one that I use occasionally when I'm out and about. It uses the GPS ability of the phone and gives you nearby restaurants, stores, etc, etc.


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## koji68 (Jun 21, 2004)

Don't forget the #1 selling app: The iFart.

http://ifartmobile.com/ :lol::lol::lol:


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## Steve Mehs (Mar 21, 2002)

I downloaded the speedtest.net app a little while ago, very cool.


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## Chris Blount (Jun 22, 2001)

Wow Steve! What a surprise. I thought you would never get an iPhone. 

I played around with jailbreaking but quite frankly after a few weeks I restored my phone back to default. Some of the apps were great but the cost was speed. The iPhone became slow and annoying when trying to navigate. The only app I will miss is cycorder but I already have a High Definition video camera and decent video capability on my Canon digital camera. Don't really need a video camera on the phone.

There are a lot of great apps in the app store. Some of my favorites are:

Night Camera - Helps take better pictures.
Now Playing - Movie Listings
MobileFiles - Can tap into the files on my MobileMe account.
iheartradio - Hear most clear channel stations in the US.
Facebook
Amazon
Kindle
AIM
White Pages
Recorder - Audio recorder

I take it since you are paying $70 a month you activated the iPhone. What was your reasoning behind not porting your number over from Nextel? Seems like a lot of money to be spending just to download apps. Is AT&T service really that bad in your area?

In any case welcome to the world of the iPhone. It really is a fun toy. My son is in the same boat. He had no intention of getting an iPhone (he's with Sprint) but after seeing just about everyone around him get one and the things they can do, he's now waiting for his Sprint contract to run out so he can make the switch.

Have fun!


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## Yoda-DBSguy (Nov 4, 2006)

My all time favorite and most usefull app to this point is definately ORB.

Allowing me to watch and control my local cable tv, directv, security camera and webcams from my phone (all of which are runing though my vista computer at home.

It allows for viewing over wifi, edge and 3g service(s).

I'm still looking forward to sling medias splingplayer mobile for iPhone release; however until then ORB is the best alternative currently available for the platform.


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## Steve Mehs (Mar 21, 2002)

Chris Blount said:


> Wow Steve! What a surprise. I thought you would never get an iPhone.
> 
> I played around with jailbreaking but quite frankly after a few weeks I restored my phone back to default. Some of the apps were great but the cost was speed. The iPhone became slow and annoying when trying to navigate. The only app I will miss is cycorder but I already have a High Definition video camera and decent video capability on my Canon digital camera. Don't really need a video camera on the phone.
> 
> ...


Hey Chris,

The back story: A friend of mine was with Verizon, he had a regular phone, a Razr I think, one day last month out of the blue he wanted a Blackberry Storm, or whatever the new touch screen one is called, Verizon wanted to change him full retail for the phone, so he walked across the mall hallway and went to the Apple Store and got an iPhone, he paid the ETF to get out of his Verizon contract. I never thought much of the iPhone until he showed me what's it's capable of. I've always wanted to have internet access with me at all times, I had data service with Nextel on my phone, but it took over a minute for just a stripped down version of Yahoo to load, forget anything else. My PDA just wasn't cutting it, yeah if I had wifi access, great, but that can be a rarity. With all the road trips I do, the apps on this thing will be a godsend, whether it be the GPS or dining suggestions. I look forward to discovering many new places thanks to the iPhone and it's many apps.

I have no real intention to use the iPhone as a phone because I don't want to destroy it. I'm brutal on my phones, the build quality of Motorola iDen phones that Nextel and other PTT providers offer is outstanding, so long as they're MilSpec. And quite frankly, I find talking on the iPhone or any phone with a display like that extremely uncomfortable. According to the usage stats I've talked for 17 minutes on it thus far, and it was annoying, I'll take a flip phone any day. Yeah $70+taxes is a lot for a fancy toy and mobile net access, but the net difference isn't so much. I'm down 2 XM and 1 Sirius subscription, no longer have Sirius Premium Internet Streaming, I decided to cancel my Bank of America Privacy Assist service, and I can ditch my Nextel Wireless Web service, that's about $42 right there, not taking into account the Sirius/XM price increases on additional radios and internet streaming.

AT&T Wireless had absolutely no presence in Upstate NY until they took over Cingular, their coverage was spotty at best, but that has improved over time from what I hear. And so far I've found it to be pretty decent. In my house however, there is no cell phone reception for the most part. My iPhone shows 'Searching' just as much as my Nextel phone shows 'No Service'. But with Nextel even if I have 1 bar, while regular voice calls are lousy, Direct Connect works fine. Aside from my house and an area Super WalMart I've never had many issues with Nextel. One thing though, from the people I've talked to over the iPhone and talking with my buddy that got it, the audio quality is much better on both sides of the conversation. GSM really is superior then CDMA and in my case iDen.

To have AT&T as my main wireless provider would be a rip off. With Nextel, I get 800 minutes, unlimited night and weekends and unlimited Direct Connect to share between two phones for $70/month and that includes voice mail, caller ID, call waiting, 3 way and all the rest. And I believe AT&T Nights & Weekends start at 9PM, with Sprint it's now 6PM. Plus I'm extremely reliant on Direct Connect. I'd really like if Sprint got the iPhone or AT&T offered data plans only on it but those will never happen, so I'll continue to have two cell phone services, unless Sprint flip flops again and pulls the trigger on Nextel for real, which it looks like that won't be happening anytime soon. The sales guy at the AT&T store waived the activation fee and I bought it in the Rochester area as opposed to here in Buffalo, so the phone cost a few bucks less due to lower tax rates, which pretty much covered the cost of the case I bought for it. What's really cool is I didn't realize they allow you to pick your phone number from a pool. With Nextel I was just assigned one, my Nextel number is super easy to remember, I almost picked an AT&T number that was similar, but I opted for one where every other number is the number 5, including the area code, since I have a Rochester area code (585) not Buffalo (716).


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## Chris Blount (Jun 22, 2001)

Makes sense Steve. I agree about the iPhone being fragile. If you are rough on a cell phone, the iPhone is not a good choice. Just don't drop and break the thing. Apple and AT&T will not cover it. The only place that offers a good deal for accidental damage is www.squaretrade.com. I have several warranties through them. They are good people and highly rated by customers.

Do you use calendars or address books? What I found great about the iPhone is syncing them up with my other devices (computer, laptop, etc). Everything in my house is synched to one address book and calendar and its all done over the air without having to plug the iPhone into the computer. Apple has the MobileMe service available for that but it can also be done for free in other ways without using MobileMe. The sycing ability has been a godsend. I make a change on one device and it automatically propagates to all the other devices within seconds (as long as they are connected to the net).


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## Losana (Sep 13, 2006)

Steve,

For me the best application Simplify from simplify media. I have retired my 120gig IPod (Wife now uses it). I got this app when it was being tested and it was free. This app lets you tap up to 30 different computers and listen to their music. I don't use one gig of my iphone's hard drive for music. I can tap into my 200 gigs of music from my home computer, 20 gigs on my laptop or my brother's 50 gigs etc... I just suggest putting music in folders for easy access. 

Others that I use often:

Facebook
Iwant
Bloomberg
Craigsearch
ManGo
Truveo
Sol Free
Iheartradio
AOL Radio
Pandora
FullBrowser
Cal-12E


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## Steve Mehs (Mar 21, 2002)

Chris Blount said:


> Makes sense Steve. I agree about the iPhone being fragile. If you are rough on a cell phone, the iPhone is not a good choice. Just don't drop and break the thing. Apple and AT&T will not cover it. The only place that offers a good deal for accidental damage is www.squaretrade.com. I have several warranties through them. They are good people and highly rated by customers.
> 
> Do you use calendars or address books? What I found great about the iPhone is syncing them up with my other devices (computer, laptop, etc). Everything in my house is synched to one address book and calendar and its all done over the air without having to plug the iPhone into the computer. Apple has the MobileMe service available for that but it can also be done for free in other ways without using MobileMe. The sycing ability has been a godsend. I make a change on one device and it automatically propagates to all the other devices within seconds (as long as they are connected to the net).


I'm paranoid about protecting it, I bought a pretty nice case for the iPhone to protect it as best I can. A hardshell from a company called Contour from the Apple Store, expensive case, came to almost $40 with tax, but it's pretty nice and comes with a removable belt clip which I like. I'm guessing it could take a few drops, but it's the screen I'm worried about, I didn't get a screen protector and I've never been a fan of them. The new iPod screens are much improved, and I was banking on and I see I was right that the iPhone screens are the same way. My 6th generation 80GB iPod Classic is a year old and as not one scratch, my 120GB is 4 months old and not one scratch, both are in skins with the screen exposed. My original 5th Generation iPod got all scratched to hell within a few days, after getting it, and there was no real abuse to it. But it had battery issues so I had it replaced within a month and was extra careful with the replacement.

Do the synching options play nice with Outlook, specifically Outlook 2007? I don't anymore, but at one point on my older PDA, I had a pretty comprehensive address book established, if I could get something similar going on the iPhone that would be great.



> Steve,
> 
> For me the best application Simplify from simplify media. I have retired my 120gig IPod (Wife now uses it). I got this app when it was being tested and it was free. This app lets you tap up to 30 different computers and listen to their music. I don't use one gig of my iphone's hard drive for music. I can tap into my 200 gigs of music from my home computer, 20 gigs on my laptop or my brother's 50 gigs etc... I just suggest putting music in folders for easy access.


That app looks pretty interesting, only thing when I workout I put the phone in airplane mode, thus disabling wifi, 3G and Edge to stop interference with the speakers I use. I loaded all my DRM free iTunes music on the iPhone on Thursday and have been using that instead of my iPod for the past few days. It doesn't work with iTunes DRM protected music, which I expected, I still have about 45 songs that are DRM infected including some from albums that are for whatever reason are not sold on iTunes anymore. I may get Simplify and see how it works for me. And also I'm still to new at the AT&T service to see how it is signalwise in the area, I don't want to not have access to my music library because of poor signal and no wifi in a given area. But I really would like to check it out.


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## funhouse69 (Mar 26, 2007)

Whatever you do don't download Zombieville USA - It is so freaking addictive you won't want to stop paying it


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## Steve Mehs (Mar 21, 2002)

Here's a cool one, Whrrl. For me, yesterday would have been the perfect day to try it out. It lets you create a story of events using photos, text and other stuff. Even though I don't use Facebook and Twitter, I'd love to use it to document various roap trips I take. Next time I'll give it a shot.

And tomorrow I'm going to the AT&T Store, I started loading podcasts on the iPhone, 8GB is just way too small. I'll pay the $100 price differential, plus the $40 restocking fee and I'm going to return the 8GB and get the 16GB model.


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## Yoda-DBSguy (Nov 4, 2006)

Steve Mehs said:


> Here's a cool one, Whrrl. For me, yesterday would have been the perfect day to try it out. It lets you create a story of events using photos, text and other stuff. Even though I don't use Facebook and Twitter, I'd love to use it to document various roap trips I take. Next time I'll give it a shot.
> 
> And tomorrow I'm going to the AT&T Store, I started loading podcasts on the iPhone, 8GB is just way too small. I'll pay the $100 price differential, plus the $40 restocking fee and I'm going to return the 8GB and get the 16GB model.


Why upgrade to the 16 gig model when there are a variety of apps that allow you to access whatever is on your hard drives from home, such as ORB (among many others)? They allow an unlimited amount of space to use with your iPhone from any location (based on your computers hard drive size).

I watch live tv, podcasts, listen to music, view documents, etc all from remote locations without taking up space on the actual iPhone though wifi, edge and 3g.....


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## Steve Mehs (Mar 21, 2002)

What if there's no wifi access and I have no cell service? Yesterday I was on a road trip and through many rural areas, I had zero cell phone reception with AT&T, while not full bars, I did have service with Nextel. And while Edge is okay for the web, I find it useless for anything else because of how slow it is. Plus I'd rather have content on the iPhone locally so I'm not dependent on AT&Ts network, which I lack confidence in.


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## Steve Mehs (Mar 21, 2002)

Just got back from the AT&T Store and returned the 8GB iPhone for the 16GB model, and I got a white one. The guy waived the restocking fee for returning the orginal one. I kind of like dealing with the AT&T Wireless guys, no activation fee, no restocking fee


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## Stewart Vernon (Jan 7, 2005)

You know, it's funny... but before I got my iPhone I had pretty much decided I wanted the white one too. But, the same day I got mine, I also bought a blue protective case/cover so I never see much of the white on the phone!


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## Steve Mehs (Mar 21, 2002)

My case has a clear back with black around the edges, with a white iPhone in it, it looks a little strange. I wonder if white will still be offered on the next round of iPhones.

I love this case: http://www.contourcase.com/showcase/showcaseiphone/


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## Greg Alsobrook (Apr 2, 2007)

Steve Mehs said:


> My case has a clear back with black around the edges, with a white iPhone in it, it looks a little strange. I wonder if white will still be offered on the next round of iPhones.
> 
> I love this case: http://www.contourcase.com/showcase/showcaseiphone/


I have that case and really like it. Only problems I've found are the plastic on the back scratches up really easily (and it's very noticeable), and any dust, dirt, lint, etc. that gets under the plastic looks really bad against a black phone.

Also, any spot where the plastic actually presses against the phone, it looks kinda odd. Almost like it has water underneath. I'll try and post a pic after dinner.


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## Steve Mehs (Mar 21, 2002)

Yes I've noticed it scratches quite easily, but better the case then the phone I suppose.  I agree, the lint under the case on the black one was very noticeable, surprisingly on the white it's not so bad, but then again I've only had it for a few hours. I've found the lint and dust thing very strange, it's as if the plastic case somehow changes the size or magnifies the dust and lint particles, I don't know how to explain it, but you probably know what I mean. And in the 2 weeks and 2 days I had the 8GB iPhone, before I packed it up, I restored it and shined it up, it had two very slight scratches, so before I went to the AT&T Store I went to Best Buy and bought some screen protectors, which I hate, they're the ones from D10 or DLO or what ever that company is that makes a ton of iPod accessories and they make the screen look awkward. I'll look this weekend to see if I can find any better ones.

Rocker, have you ever used the Contour cases for the iPod? Right now I'm using a skin, but I'm interested in trying out ones of these for the iPod. I love stuff with belt clips. I'm a control freak with my electronics toys, I try to keep them in god condition, but for some reason, the iPod and iPhone are two toys I'm extremely anal about keeping in mint condition.


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## Stewart Vernon (Jan 7, 2005)

See-through, like an external swatch-thing... that would be nice. I like my blue, but miss seeing the white of the phone itself.

I knew from the get-go that I wanted the 16GB. My father hasn't put a dent in his 16GB in over 6 months (dent in the memory usage I mean)... but even still, knowing it is fixed and non-upgradable I'd hate to get to 4-6GB usage on an 8GB and have to start making hard choices.

This way, by the time I'm in danger of filling it up I might be ready for the next-gen iPhone anyway.


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## Yoda-DBSguy (Nov 4, 2006)

Steve Mehs said:


> so before I went to the AT&T Store I went to Best Buy and bought some screen protectors, which I hate, they're the ones from D10 or DLO or what ever that company is that makes a ton of iPod accessories and they make the screen look awkward. I'll look this weekend to see if I can find any better ones.


Look at getting an invisishield by zagg. They make both a screen only protector and a full body shield. Both offer excelent unparrelled protection for the phone. Both apply via a wet based application/solution and are not noticable nor take away from the phone in any way.

you can order straight from them at:

```
http://www.zagg.com/invisibleshield/cell-phone/apple
```
You can also find them at Best Buy.

They offer a lifetime warranty.

HOWEVER I recommend doing this only if your sure your not going to be swapping the phone out as the poster above did. As once you apply it it can't be reapplied to another unit.


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## deltafowler (Aug 28, 2007)

This one could save your life.
http://pmsbuddy.com/


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## Greg Alsobrook (Apr 2, 2007)

Steve Mehs said:


> Rocker, have you ever used the Contour cases for the iPod? Right now I'm using a skin, but I'm interested in trying out ones of these for the iPod. I love stuff with belt clips. I'm a control freak with my electronics toys, I try to keep them in god condition, but for some reason, the iPod and iPhone are two toys I'm extremely anal about keeping in mint condition.


Steve,

This is the only Contour case that I've owned... For my (older) iPod, I use these... and I'm also considering that for my phone as well...


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## Brandon428 (Mar 21, 2007)

This is the case I use for my iPhone http://www.bestbuy.com/site/olspage.jsp?skuId=8913759&type=product&id=1213400215507 It works pretty well.


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## HDJulie (Aug 10, 2008)

Brandon428 said:


> This is the case I use for my iPhone http://www.bestbuy.com/site/olspage.jsp?skuId=8913759&type=product&id=1213400215507 It works pretty well.


I have the same case & love it. My phone hasn't been out of it pretty much since I got the phone last summer.


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## Steve Mehs (Mar 21, 2002)

I saw the Zagg shields at Best Buy and was so close to getting one, but got the stupid DLO things instead. I'm curious as to if it's really as good as they make it out to be. The first iPhone I ever really played with had a Skin on it from BodyGuardz. Only reason I never considered these for real is I like regular cases for more shock absorbency. If dropped the case can ease the impact.


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## Greg Alsobrook (Apr 2, 2007)

Steve Mehs said:


> I saw the Zagg shields at Best Buy and was so close to getting one, but got the stupid DLO things instead. I'm curious as to if it's really as good as they make it out to be. The first iPhone I ever really played with had a Skin on it from BodyGuardz. Only reason I never considered these for real is I like regular cases for more shock absorbency. If dropped the case can ease the impact.


The cases only help so much when you drop it. I've dropped mine from my ear flat onto the concrete and it was fine. Then about a month ago, I dropped it from my waistline to a rubber stair and the screen shattered. I guess it landed just right on the corner. I would go for style over protection when it comes to the case. At least you'll still keep scratches off of it.


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## Yoda-DBSguy (Nov 4, 2006)

Steve Mehs said:


> I saw the Zagg shields at Best Buy and was so close to getting one, but got the stupid DLO things instead. I'm curious as to if it's really as good as they make it out to be. The first iPhone I ever really played with had a Skin on it from BodyGuardz. Only reason I never considered these for real is I like regular cases for more shock absorbency. If dropped the case can ease the impact.


Yes the iNvisishield is all it's touted to be. I installed a couple on the 1st gen iPhones I had 2+ years ago and the look as good as they did on the date of purchase as far as the screen goes. the full body shield for the back and sides though does get a little gritty and pick up lint etc where it wraps around the edges. On my 3G I chose to just get the screen only version of their application and use it in conjunction with a sena dockable leather flip case. between the 2 I have a mint phone with not a single scratch and I'm rather hard on it to be truthful; so it's definately a good combination.


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## Brandon428 (Mar 21, 2007)

I love my case but to bad it can't defend against stupid. I downloaded the 3.0 beta firmware yesterday and installed it without the knowledge that I had to be a developer to sync my phone. So now I am screwed until the 3.0 FW is pwned or they release the final version sometime this summer.:grin:


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## MikeW (May 16, 2002)

I don't normally like to "pay" for streaming links, but this app (for $3.99) seems to be worth its price.

http://ootunes.com/app/

There are several stations, aside from Clear Channel, that I want to listen to on the IPhone. This app does a great job of finding the stations and streaming. Additionally, you can purchase server software for your home PC (which I haven't done) for $19.99. This will let you stream content from your PC to your IPhone. I was just looking for an easier way to find local stations, and this one is it...


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## Yoda-DBSguy (Nov 4, 2006)

Brandon428 said:


> I love my case but to bad it can't defend against stupid. I downloaded the 3.0 beta firmware yesterday and installed it without the knowledge that I had to be a developer to sync my phone. So now I am screwed until the 3.0 FW is pwned or they release the final version sometime this summer.:grin:


Look to your PM's in a sec as to how to get back to the current national release firmware of 2.2.1.


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## wilbur_the_goose (Aug 16, 2006)

Any other favorite apps, here in 2011?


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## Karen (Oct 4, 2007)

I installed MultiPong yesterday. It is soooooooo addictive. <g> I also like the Alarmed app. It's more of a nag than the calendar app is. I need nagging sometimes...


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## Laxguy (Dec 2, 2010)

wilbur_the_goose said:


> Any other favorite apps, here in 2011?


The DirecTV app is essential.


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## Cholly (Mar 22, 2004)

If ou're a Scrabble addict and have friends who are also into it, check "Words With Friends". My three kids (ages 40+) all play with one another and several friends.


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## braven (Apr 9, 2007)

Laxguy said:


> The DirecTV app is essential.


Totally agree.

Pandora and AccuWeather are a couple of my favorites too.


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## billsharpe (Jan 25, 2007)

I like the free Dragon Dictation app. And the QR app for reading those funny square black and white blobs is pretty good too.


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