I wish I was an iPhone app developer...

...because I have a great idea for a new app.

Earlier today I took an old Mega Millions ticket to the grocery store and used the lotto scanner to see if I won anything. I didn't win, of course, but it occurred to me that this would make a great app for the iPhone (or Android or BlackBerry!). I can already refill my mother's Walgreen's prescriptions by scanning the barcode and ordering the refills. I can sell an item on eBay by scanning its barcode and setting a price. I can also do price comparisons by using the RedLaser app (owned by eBay). I can also buy coffee at Starbucks by scanning my account number at the check-out counter. Why can't I check my Mega Millions or Powerball tickets to see if I won anything??

To be fair, there are some apps out there that will check your numbers, but they require that you enter your ticket numbers by hand. The technology should be the same as the scanner I used earlier today at the lotto retailer.

Wish I knew an app developer.......

Tagged Mega Millions Powerball iPhone iPhone apps lottery scanning

My Top Ten iPhone apps

I've had my iPhone 3GS for about a year and have loaded a lot of apps into it. Some of the apps I have since discarded, but there are many worthwile apps and I thought I would share my Top Ten iPhone apps. All of these apps work on the 3GS running iOS 4.2.1. These apps are listed in no particular order and were free at the time I downloaded them.

  • Facebook - If you are a Facebook user, this is a must-have app. It's fun to update your status while away from your PC. It's also convenient to easily upload pictures or video from your iPhone. Supports Facebook Places too.
  • Twitter for iPhone - If you are a Twitter user, this is the "official" Twitter iPhone app. Other great Twitter iPhone clients include TweetDeck, HootSuite and Seesmic. These apps also let you update your Facebook status.
  • IntoNow - This is an interesting app. Asuming you are a Facebook or Twitter user, you can share the TV show you are watching with your friends/followers. Load the app and place the iPhone near the TV speaker, within a few seconds it will recognize the show and list it on the phone. From there, you can share it. I don't know how it knows the show, but it's recognized the show about 98% of the time!
  • SoundHound - Have you ever turned on your favorite music station only to miss the name of the song that's playing? With SoundHound, you simply place the iPhone near the radio speaker and it will recognize the song and display it for you. You can even order it from iTunes if you wish. Be careful doing this, however, while driving!!
  • GasBuddy - With gas prices soaring, finding the nearest gas station with the lowest prices has become a challenge. With this app, you can find out where the lowest prices are. After sharing your location (via GPS) with GasBuddy, you can find the nearest stations and sort it by the lowest prices or the nearest location. If you register at the GasBuddy website, you can help the GasBuddy community by updating the station prices yourself.
  • FootFeed - After getting your mobile phone, you may find yourself playing some of the locational games such as Foursquare and Gowalla (among others). These games involve checking in at some location such as a restaurant, store, bar, museum and so forth. If your friends also belong to these services, they will know where you are. You can vy to be the "mayor" of the location by having the most check-ins. Some locations offer discounts or some incentive to check-in. Each of these services have their own mobile app, but if you belong to several services, it becomes a pain checking in to each service. FootFeed solves that dilemma by letting you check into multiple services at one time.
  • Google Mobile App - This app lets you use your Gmail or do a Google search on your iPhone. There are a host of Google services bundled within the app and can be reviewed here.
  • RedLaser - Ever been to a store and found an item you wanted to buy, but were curious if you could buy it cheaper somewhere else? With RedLaser, simply scan the item's barcode and you will be presented with a list of prices at nearby locations and online stores. RedLaser was recently purchased by eBay and the scanning functionality has been built into the eBay iPhone app. The new eBay app now includes online auctions.
  • Posterous - If you have a Posterous blog like me, you can update your blog or upload photos to your blog with their new app. Tumblr has a similar app for their blogs too.
  • ESPN ScoreCenter - Do you have to be somewhere, but don't want to miss the score of the big game? With ESPN's app, you can keep track of your favorite teams away from home. You can set up score alerts so each time your team scores, it will sound an alert. (Be careful with this, however, as it can become obnoxious!)

There are other great apps for the iPhone, but I limited this list to my favorite ten apps. I'm curious what your favorite iPhone apps are.

Note: With the new iOS, you can organize your apps into folders for easier access.

via ScribeFire
Tagged iPhone iPhone apps iTunes

There really is an app for that!

I am constantly amazed on how much we use our smartphones for tasks other than making telephone calls. I have had my iPhone 3GS since April and have added a number of apps to it. Several months ago, I added the Walgreen's app so I could order prescription refills for my mother. The Walgreen's app simulates the ordering process that can also be accomplished on the Walgreen's website. Nothing particularly special about it, but useful just the same. A few days ago, iTunes notified me to an update to the Walgreen's app. I downloaded and installed it and then quickly forgot about the update. 

This morning I needed to refill one of her prescriptions and I turned on the app to go through the normal refill process. The update introduced something new called "Express Refills by Scan." You simply aim the phone's camera on the prescription bottle or box until you have focused in on the bar code. Instead of taking a picture, the app recognizes the proprietary bar code and automatically captures the it. The app automatically converts the scan into the refill number and lets me accept the information before proceeding with the order. I think it took two button clicks to finish the order. I'm really interested on how these apps will continue to change our lives going forward.
Tagged Walgreen's iPhone iPhone apps smartphones

Tornado warning

We have had an interesting weather morning. High winds were forecasted to begin overnight and, sure enough, winds were howling when I got up this morning. Then, around 7:10 a.m., I saw a Twitter post announcing a tornado warning for Elburn, Illinois which is about 8-10 miles southwest of my home. Almost immediately, Kevin and I heard tornado sirens going off. We woke my mom up and Kevin went turned on the basement lights. Then the sirens blasted the "all clear" signal so we did not go out. I took my cell phone onto the deck and recorded the clouds as they went by overhead. You can really hear the wind gusts! The news is hyping this as the worst storm in 70 years. Already there have been wind gusts of up to 70 mph recorded in Tazewell County, south of us. This is suppose to go on through Wednesday.

I posted an earlier video showing a large tree blocking the road east of Plato Center, Illinois which is a small town a couple miles west of my home.

Can't wait to see how the rest of the day goes!!!

(download)

 

Tagged Elgin iPhone iPhone video storm video weather

Storm damage

(download)

We are having a significant storm this morning and high winds are expected to continue Tuesday through Wednesday. There was already a tornado warning in Elburn. This tree was knocked down east of Plato Center blocking Russell Road. I came upon after dropping Kevin off at school.
Tagged Elgin Plato Center iPhone iPhone video storm video weather

Posterous iPhone app

I'm trying the new Posterous iPhone app that I downloaded this morning. Has anyone tried it?
Tagged iPhone

Apple iOS 4 software update

I just completed the installation of the new Apple OS for my iPhone 3GS. I bought the phone a couple of months ago after Apple confirmed that the new OS would be compatible with the 3GS. The new OS -- called iOS 4 -- was an easy download from iTunes and the installation was a snap. The OS was made available this morning at 10 a.m. PDT so I had to wait until just after noon to download it here in the Midwest.

The new OS contains many, many upgrades, but the one I am the most interested in using is Folders. You can now combine your apps together into folders to ease the clutter on your desktop. I combined like-apps together such as Facebook, Twitter and Seesmic into a folder that Apple named "Social." I'm keeping the name, but you can rename the folder. I combined my Google Maps, Google, Gmail and YouTube apps together and named the folder "Google." I also have a "Reference" folder and a "Utilities" folder.

In addition to Folders, the new OS supports multi-tasking. I have not yet experimented with that one yet!

via ScribeFire

Update:

I neglected to mention a couple of other things:

  1. In order to facilitate the upgrade to the new OS, you will first need to upgrade iTunes to version 9.2.
  2. The new OS is also available on newer iPod Touch units. My son upgraded his iTouch a few minutes ago.
  3. The upgrade is available for iPhone 3G and 3GS, but some of the extended features are not compatible with the 3G.
Tagged Apple OS iOS 4 iPhone

Finally took the plunge!

This afternoon I finally took the plunge and bought an iPhone 3G S. We switched over from our T-Mobile family plan and joined my wife (and her iPhone) on a family plan at AT&T. I've been spending part of the day loading apps onto the phone and syncing it with iTunes. So far I've played with the Facebook, Tweetdeck and Yahoo! fantasy baseball apps. Looking forward to downloading more apps including one from Gibson that will let me tune my guitar. Still trying to decide between Foursquare and Gowalla.

via ScribeFire
Tagged AT&T Apple apps iPhone iTunes
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