Posts Tagged ‘Applications’

Last time I talked about how the iTouch can easily sync all of my calendars, contacts and e-mails, while still maintaining privacy. This week, I’m going to cover some more really cool applications that are available for the iTouch.

Unless otherwise noted, the features discussed below come out-of-the-box with the iTouch.

Videos – training
One of the main reasons I chose the iTouch is because of a new trend: many online video training sites provide their content in iTouch format. I subscribe to several technology training sites from which I can download training videos and watch on the go.

Videos – iTunes University
iTunes now has a section called iTunes U or iTunes University. They have partnered with many universities to provide college level training videos mostly for free.The same is true for video podcasts. I subscribe to several video podcasts that iTunes automatically downloads and syncs with my device.

Photos
If you have the iPhone with the built-in camera, you could use the device to capture meetings notes written on the board. Since I have the iTouch with no camera, I’ve used my digital camera to capture the handwritten notes and email the pictures to my device so I can have meeting notes handy.

Weather
This is a really convenient app to check the weather in the morning. There is an out-of-the-box version, but I recommend getting the free app from the Weather Channel or Accuweather.com (available in the ITunes App Store). Some even have video reports and animated radar views.

Maps
Google maps is built-in and really is useful for iPhone users.  Even though I only have the iTouch, when I can get free Wi-fi, I’ve used Google maps on the road .

Web 2.0
Apps are available for most popular social networking sites such as FaceBook and Twitter, but from a business prospective, I use it to keep up with colleagues on LinkedIn. For those who use Skype, there’s even a version of that for the iTouch. Most of the social networking apps are available free from the Apps Store.

eWallet
With all of the websites and PC’s I have to access, it’s hard to remember all of the logins, so I use eWallet which can keep them all secure on my device. There’s a PC version too, that allows you to sync between the two devices.eWallet can be purchased from the iTunes App Store or get the PC version from their website.

Jaadu RDP
Now this app is really for the geek in you. Jaadu RDP is a remote desktop application that will allow you to access your desktop or server on the iTouch. I wouldn’t recommend doing a lot of work through it because the small screen requires a lot of scrolling. But, it works in a pinch or when you are sitting at home and need to check the status of a process running on one of your servers. It has been a life saver for me many times when a client calls with an issue and I’m not in front of my desktop.

Other Apps I use
There are so many more applications available it’s impossible to list them all, but I also use apps for a dictionary, RSS feeds, mind maps, conversions (volume, length, currency, etc.), expense tracking, etc.

Fun
Of course, you can use your iTouch for fun too with thousands of games. I also use Dish Network’s app to set shows to record while I’m away from home. Shazam is a very cool app that allows you to point your iTouch toward any speakers and it will try to recognize the song for you. I’m also a student pilot and I find the AOPA Flight Plan and AeroWeather apps very handy to have with me for planning my flights.

Overall
Overall, I use my iTouch and Wi-fi access at home and in the office to stay connected, keep organized, and remain productive. I will say that I fell in love with the interface. It’s truly superior to any of the other devices on the market today. The features of this multi-touch device such as zooming in and out, screen auto-rotation, and no need for a stylus make the iTouch very convenient and intuitive.

So, with Email, Contacts, Calendars, eBooks, videos and notes all in the palm of my hand and a touch away, I can stay productive no matter where I am. For once a marketing slogan isn’t just hype. No matter what you need… There’s an app for that!

Last week I talked about the easy accessability of the iTouch using Wifi and how convenient it is to download books using the Kindle App. This week, I’m going to cover more tools that I use on my iTouch everyday.

Unless otherwise noted, the features discussed below come out-of-the-box with the iTouch.

Email
I’m really impressed with how the iTouch handles multiple email accounts. You can view your Exchange, Gmail, MobileMe, Yahoo Mail, AOL, or other POP3 email accounts on the device. For example, I have several personal email accounts on Gmail, yahoo, and a regular POP3 account. I also have a work account at AtNetPlus which uses Exchange. I can have all of these email accounts viewable (and separated) on one little device. I can view most attachments too – it’s very convenient to see an Office document or a PDF on the screen of the device.

Calendar
I also have multiple calendars (personal and work). My personal calendar in Outlook has been sync’d with my iTouch for quite awhile, but I recently discovered that I can also bring in my work (Exchange) calendar on to the same device. This is great, because I can see all my appointments (with reminders) centrally located on one device. The beautiful feature is that the calendars are still separated. In other words, I can keep my personal appointments on my personal desktop at home separate from my appointments at the office. The iTouch sync’s them separately. This is important to me, since I don’t want my personal appointments showing up on my work calendar, which is shared with everyone in the office. However, there is a feature that displays all of my appointments on the same view. It even automatically color codes the appointments so I know which calendar the appointment was set on.
The calendar is an out-of-the-box feature with the iTouch, but you’ll want to make sure you have the latest OS 3 version to use multiple calendars.

Safari
Safari is the built in web browser on the iTouch and is by far the best browser I’ve seen on a handheld device. You can see most regular web pages as you would on your desktop. In addition, some websites automatically switch to an iTouch/iPhone version. By the way, we can develop these types of sites or existing websites for anyone that is interested.

Contacts
This is a pretty straight forward feature, but what’s great is that I can have both personal and work contacts in one place (yet separate), just like the calender I mentioned earlier.

Todo
There’s a great little app available from the iTunes App Store called Todo by Appigo which can sync with Appigo Sync, Remember the Milk, and Toodledo. I personally haven’t utilized these online sync accounts, but I do use the Todo application on my device. I can’t tell you how convenient it is to have a device readily available that doesn’t require booting up to just record a task. I do wish it had a desktop version so I could print out or share the task list with someone else, but there are workarounds. You can email a task and share them that way. If the user to which you email the task has Appigo Todo on their device they can click the link and automatically add the task to their device.
Appigo Todo can be purchased from the iTunes App Store.

Notes
This is another really handy app that I probably use more than Todo. You can jot down short notes as you think of them and then email them to yourself at work or to someone else. Again, having a device that is always-on is really handy when I’m away from my desktop and I get an idea.

Believe it or not I still have a list of several more features to include in this blog. I guess that means we are headed for Part 3 of  ‘How I use my iTouch for Business.’ I knew I used it a lot – that’s why I started the blog, but even I’m surprised at all of the features that I can’t live without.

Until next week…

Mobile devices have become more powerful over the years and I’d have to say my iPod Touch (I’ll refer to it as iTouch) has become a tool I use from morning to night.
 
Quick Note: The iPod Touch is basically the same device as the iPhone, except it does not have GPS, Camera, or built-in microphone (however you can buy an accessory microphone). Other than that it’s the same device and operating system. Keep in mind, that anywhere you see iTouch below the comments also apply to the iPhone.

Wi-fi
The iTouch is a handheld Wi-Fi device and is great for quick access at hotspots. One of the advantages of a device like the iTouch is its “always-on” capability. I was recently on vacation with some friends in the Smokey Mountains and my buddy had his NetBook. We wanted to access the parks website to find out some info, so we found a free wi-fi hotspot and ended up going head-to-head with who can find the info the quickest. So, I grabbed my iTouch, connected to the Wi-Fi network, did a Google search, and accessed the parks website. Meanwhile, he’s still booting up his NetBook.

That’s not to say an iTouch is better than a NetBook, but it’s much more convenient for tasks like I just described. Laptops and NetBooks are still far better for typing compared to the iTouch’s small onscreen keyboard. Just a note about the onscreen keyboard – yes it is small, but it’s not bad once you get the hang of it. I don’t write longs Emails on it, but the quick, fast, convenience of the device that makes it very useful.

Kindle
I purchased my iTouch a year ago mainly to start purchasing books electronically. As a developer for AtNetPlus, I constantly need to keep up with the latest technologies. In years past, I’d purchase a technology book and in a year it would be obsolete. My library was growing out-of-control. So, I made a decision to go “Green” and purchase electronic versions of books online.

The reason I went with the iTouch was based on Amazon’s Kindle App that I could load onto my iTouch. There are two parts to Amazon’s Kindle platform – hardware and the electronic book format. Amazon sells a device called a Kindle and they provide electronic books in the Kindle format. So, with the iTouch Kindle App (available in the iTunes store) I can read the Kindle Book format without purchasing Amazon’s device.

What’s great about Kindle is that I can go on Amazon, find the book (not all books are in Kindle format yet), and download it instantly to my iTouch. I don’t have to run to the store or wait for it to be delivered in the mail. Plus, some versions are actually cheaper in the electronic version.
I do have to say it’s a different experience reading books on a small device, but there are many features of the iTouch Kindle version that make it worthwhile.

For instance, the book will remember the last page you viewed so you can pick right back up from where you left off. And that’s for everyone book you have on the device. Also, to make it easier to see, you can increase the font size and also rotate the device so it is using portrait mode. It’s surprising easy to read on the screen. I can also make notes anywhere in the book as I’m reading. I’m usually reading several books at once and having them all in one place is very convenient. Plus, as a developer, I always have my reference library with me.

The other reason I picked the iTouch over Kindle was for all of the other things you can do with the iTouch that I’ll cover in my next installment of “How I use my iTouch for Business.”