Applications

In case of emergency there's ICE Lite

By now you've heard of "ICE," right? The idea is to add an "In Case of Emergency" entry to your phone's address book and fill it with emergency contacts, important medical info, and the like. That's so rescue workers have an easier time helping you should the unfortunate need arise.

ICE Lite is ICE in app form. It contains just two screens: one with personal info (name, address, phone number, etc.), and one with emergency-contact info.

There's room for your emergency contact person's name, relation, and phone number, along with separate … Read more

Yelp for iPhone 2.0: First Look

Still holding back on downloading Yelp for the iPhone and iPod Touch? Refrain no longer. Version 2.0 adds two significant features that put the mobile version of the online rating service back on the map--activity feeds and two ways to submit modified ratings and reviews. Still, Yelp 2.0 is not without at least one very large hole. Find out where it scores and where it misses the mark in this First Look video.

Apple's 1 billionth app download predicted for April 23

We could stare at the countdown tickers on Worldometers all day. Wow, 10.3 billion toilets have been flushed so far today! So it's no wonder we love the Apple App store contest with its mesmerizing flipping numbers counting us down to the 1 billionth app download, when some lucky punter will win shedloads of Mac stuff and a $10,000 iTunes gift card.

As the hour approaches--we're topping 988 million and change at the time of this writing--Mobile Squared, a U.K. research company, is helping us game the system by figuring out when the crucial moment … Read more

Report: Hulu app coming to the iPhone soon

Silicon Alley Insider is reporting that a dedicated Hulu application is indeed on its way to the iPhone and should be here in just a few months.

SAI says the application will work over Wi-Fi and AT&T's 3G network, meaning that users will be able to view programming anywhere with a fast data connection.

Rumors suggesting that an iPhone-friendly version of Hulu swirled around this time last year, however, they predated the launch of the App Store, and Hulu flat-out denied that one was being worked on.

This time around, though, it's far more plausible, with … Read more

Sneak a little office shut-eye with iNap@Work

If ever an iPhone app was created for the George Costanzas of the world, it's this one: iNap@Work simulates office sounds so you can snooze while the people around you think you're working.

I mean, seriously, wouldn't a 20-minute siesta be fantastic right about now? Just fire up iNap@Work, then adjust its five sound-effect sliders until they accurately reproduce the sounds that would normally come from your cubicle.

The app simulates mouse clicking, keyboard tapping, paper crumpling, stapler stapling, pencil sharpening, and tissue, um, using.

Needless to say, it's a pretty hilarious piece of … Read more

Five apps that solve common iPhone problems

The iPhone famously solves many of life's little problems--you can't decide where to eat, you've got nothing to read, you need to update your Facebook status right now--but who's going to solve the iPhone's problems?

For instance, maybe it's low on storage. Or it's having trouble connecting to a Starbucks hot spot. Here's a list of five common iPhone ailments and the apps that aim to cure them.

You're running out of storage. Apple may have a 32GB iPhone waiting in the wings, but how does that help you and your … Read more

New Yelp for iPhone lets you (sort of) write reviews

I was lukewarm about Yelp's initial iPhone application, but some new features stitched into Yelp for iPhone 2.0 (and iPod Touch) this week are beginning to stoke my affections.

High on the list of Yelpers' demands was being able to write a review from the iPhone. In addition to any technical impediment Yelp may have experienced here is the fact that typing long missives, praises, and rants on the iPhone's virtual keyboard just plain stinks. To work around this, Yelp now gives you two ways to review a business. The first is through a Quick Tip, where … Read more

Cell Minute Tracker for iPhone fills AT&T's void

On Thursday, Pageonce released a native application for the iPhone and iPod Touch that AT&T might have considered when it won the iPhone's exclusive carrier rights in the U.S. Cell Minute Tracker (99 cents) keeps tabs on your cell phone usage, data plan, rollover minutes, SMS costs, and payments on a relatively compact page that has additional features AT&T doesn't provide you on the phone.

You'll need to register for a MyAccount login from AT&T.com for Cell Minute Tracker to work. The app speaks directly to AT&T'… Read more

Play trombone on the iPhone

Smule, the makers of popular musical iPhone application, Ocarina, has just released a new music application today that pushes its social music experiment even further. Leaf Trombone (99 cents) lets you "play" your iPhone like a trombone by sliding your finger on the touch screen to create different notes and you can even play with a musicbox-like accompaniment.

After you launch Leaf Trombone, you can practice on your own to the tune of several user-uploaded old standbys like Auld Lang Syne, Yesterday, and even Happy Birthday. To help you follow the notes, leaves gently blow across the screen … Read more

Sonos updates iPhone controller app, launches limited-time bundle deals

A bit of news from the Sonos camp: the company has delivered a minor update to its iPhone controller app, and offered a short-term bundling deal for new customers.

The company launched its iPhone controller app--which lets any iPhone or iPod Touch control the company's multiroom digital music system--in October of 2008. Many Sonos owners liked the app more than the system's own CR100 remote (which is included in the two-room, $1,000 system, or available separately for $400). Today's minor upgrade adds multilingual support (Dutch, French, German, Italian, Spanish, and Swedish, in addition to English), alarm and sleep functions, and PC-free setup (instruct your Sonos to access network music folders without the need to install software on a computer).

The upgrade also enables the playback of DRM-encoded WMA files from the likes of the Zune Marketplace. Sonos is also trumpeting the fact that Apple's decision to drop DRM from its iTunes Store means that newly purchased iTunes music will stream perfectly on the Sonos system (though DRM iTunes music you've purchased in the past will need a de-DRM'd version--which requires an upgrade fee through Apple.)

Separately, Sonos is also running a short-term bundling deal for its hardware. Those who don't want to go for the $1,000 two-room bundle (one ZP90 base station, one ZP120 amplified base station, and one CR100 controller) can instead get $150 to $200 off when purchasing either the ZP90 or the ZP120 plus the CR100. The deal runs through May 31, 2009.

We've long prodded Sonos to lower its prices, but $600 to $700 for a one-room system is still too rich for our blood. If you've already got an iPhone or iPod Touch, a better choice would be to pick up a single ZP90 for $350, and just grab the free Sonos controller app--you'll just need a stereo or a pair of powered speakers to hear your music. (That's assuming you don't already have an Apple TV or an AirPort Express--in which case you can cobble together your own Apple-ized multiroom audio system as well, albeit without access to the wider range of non-iTunes music services available on the Sonos.)

Check out Sonos' demo video of the iPhone controller app below (we've tested it, and can vouch that the video is a good representation of the software and hardware.)… Read more