1. Netflix
   Watching movies or TV series on the small screen is good boredom killer.  It’s a well made app too: Very simple user interface with a effective functions like resuming last movie played, and instant queue management.  The quality of streaming video is awesome too!
2. Facebook
   I admit I’m addicted to Facebook. I guess I’m the curious type. Just want to know what my friends are upto – in real time.  No matter where I am, it gives me the warm fuzzies I can still keep in touch.
3. Bejeweled Blitz
   Ever since I discovered this game in Facebook, I couldn’t stop playing it.  Even better now that it’s an iPhone App!  I have somewhat given up in trying to get a high score, since my friends have already scored close to 1,000,000 points!  But it’s still a good brain exerciser.
4. iPod
   Apple flagship product – for a good reason.  Everything I need in an MP3 player is all here: Shuffle Play and Audio Output control.  Apple really did their research in terms of usability here!  The only drawback is the use of iTunes to transfer files.  I don’t blame Apple for that though.  I blame the music industry for being overly paranoid on copyright.
5. Seesmic
   With my social media “addiction”, I wanted to post the same status updates to all of my favorite social sites.  Previously, I used the ping.fm website.  Since Seesmic bought ping.fm, they’ve integrated it into the app. Nice bonus.
6. Foursquare
   Geolocation Social Media is a new thing for me.  I’m always curious to know where everyone is and discover new places to visit, such as restaurants or sight seeing places.  People used to make their status updates to announce their location.  Now they have an official app to use to organize the activity.
7. Yelp
   Speaking of restaurants, Yelp is the ultimate place to find good ones. So far, I’ve got pretty accurate reviews. It’s a handy guide for the adventurous traveler.
8. IMDB
   Nothing beats reviews than IMDB movie reviews.  Since I watch a lot of movies (and TV shows), having information on my finger tips is nice.
9. Google Mobile
   This search app makes Googling is more fun using my voice.  It saves time typing.  I’m still not that proficient with touch-screen keyboard, unlike some people.  The voice recognition is not perfect, but it’s an excellent start.  Oh, don’t confuse this with the recently released Google Voice App, which I  haven’t found particularly useful yet since it has no push notification.
10. Skype
    When I didn’t have a phone service with my iPhone 3G, I relied on Skype (on Wifi) to make phone calls.  I used it for conference calls, and cheap calls to Canada.
11. Camera – now with HDR!
    Someone said, “The best camera is the camera that I’m currently carrying.” I always believe carrying one device for everything, and a camera is no exception.  The 5MP iPhone 4 camera is nice in the first place, and with the addition of HDR on iOS 4.1, taking decent photos is so convenient.  However, I’ve also discovered not all photos turn out well in HDR mode.  For example, when the subject is moving, HDR photo make more blurred images.  Good thing is, as a feature in the iPhone 4, I can save both HDR and non-HDR, so I can choose which one is better.
12. Notes
    Just like on Windows, I always use Notepad for a quick cut/paste text from web, terminal, etc.  I am trying out EverNote and Remember The Milk for a more elaborate note-taking, but it’s hard to beat this simple built-in app.
13. Runkeeper
    I try to keep fit by going cycling and walking.  It’s more fun to be able to keep track my travels, determine my pace, and amount of calories burned.  I can share my activities on Facebook or Twitter, but I won’t do that – just yet.
14. Amazon Kindle
    I don’t do much reading, but using the iPhone Kindle makes it more fun for me.  It’s also multi-device – not confined to just one.  Plus, it syncs via the Internet, so no reliance on a PC.
15. iBooks
    It supports PDF files.  That makes it very useful for reading comics and magazines.  But I think iBooks is much better on a bigger screen, like the iPad.  Oh well, I just have to make do on the iPhone4′s 3.5″ screen.
16. Angry Birds
    It’s the #1 game on the iPhone, and it will soon be released for Android and WebOS devices. I discovered this game late, but man is it addicting! Cute game to boot, too.
17. Fruit Ninja
    Nothing beats sliding my fingers back and forth quickly on the screen, especially in “Zen” mode.
18. StumbleUpon
    Another relatively new app for an old habit¹.  Discovering new websites is so much fun this way.
19. Pandora
    Internet Radio – who knew it’s possible?  Even though they can only play old albums and play the same song every 3 hours, it’s still useful to discover music that I don’t usually listen to.  The iPhone actually put the company Pandora Inc. on the map and make more money.

There are many reasons the native apps are being made – two of the biggest are bandwidth saving and performance.  There’s even a report that native apps also account for half of the mobile internet traffic.  It also doesn’t hurt to make money along the way.

No doubt I’ll find more fun and interesting apps, so my list will be expanded, soon.  If anyone has a recommendation, let me know below in the comments!

This article was posted on Rudy Amid's Blog:

My Top iPhone Apps

1. It’s also a good way to drive traffic into my website!

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2. Hello Death Star!

After a long deliberation¹, I finally pulled the trigger and made the switch from expensive Verizon (without the cool toys), to the nickle & dime AT&T (with the cool toys). While in China, I found my iPhone 3G to be very useful and it’s advantageous to get a GSM phone. Plus, I’ve always enjoyed using the iPhone, ever since I got it in December 2009.

My only concern now is the AT&T service.

I got a good start with AT&T Premiere Support, as they were able to sort out the changes in my orders and plan. They were able to fix everything on the phone, including transferring my Verizon phone numbers.

I haven’t received my monthly bill yet, but the AT&T Premiere Store estimated it to be about $80/month, including discounts.  I also got the Personal Data plan that has a 2 Gigs/month limit for about $20.  I wish they still have the  unlimited plan, because watching my data usage is a pain.  I’m not a heavy wireless internet user, but I do want to enjoy listening to Pandora App for an hour each day, without being afraid of overage charges. However, I think I won’t reach that limit considering it takes 20 Mb each day to listen to Pandora in my car.

Speaking of 3G coverage, while listening to Pandora, I discovered a black hole in AT&T’s data network.  On the North East side Jamboree and Portola, near the Fire Authority, wireless data coverage was simply non-existent.  Pandora would just stop playing.  It wasn’t until I turned the corner, and went past the 261 Toll road ramp, that it would resume. AT&T really needs to plant more cell towers in the area to fill in the gap.  I also wonder if it’s the city’s fault?  Case in point, the city of San Francisco takes 3 years to approve new cell tower!

The grumblings continued with co-workers complaining about dropped calls.  I got a couple of dropped calls while driving on 241 Toll Road, south of 133 Toll, but that was expected due to the hilly terrains and lack of cell towers. Anyway, I don’t make that many voice calls.  The phone calls I make are with my wife, a free mobile-to-mobile calls, and the connection is mostly clear and stable.

So with AT&T, I’m not  too proud of the technological terror they’ve constructed.  They definitely have the money and demand to improve the network.  Maybe what they need is an act of Congress, which I’ll doubt it’ll happen since they have enough lobbyists in Washington to keep the company out of trouble.

This article was posted on Rudy Amid's Blog:

Hello Death Star!

1. Between me, myself, and I.

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I’m trying to break down what I need from a Smartphone:

Voice and Data service has to be reliable.

Having a good carrier is crucial, especially in emergencies.  I wouldn’t want to be stuck in the middle of the desert between Los Angeles and Las Vegas without a cell service!  I also don’t want dropped calls.  Service has to be consistent and available.  AT&T so far has a really bad reputation for dropped calls and poor 3G data coverage.  I made calls from my Verizon phone to my friends on the iPhone, and I kept getting dropped calls.  Calls between Verizon phones are fine.

Device has to be useful.

One word: Apps!  The more apps, the better.  Fortunately, Android based phones are getting more and more apps.  Competition is good.  However, the iPhone has a commanding lead with the sheer number of available apps.  There’s an app for everything, it seems.  That’s the reassurance that I want for my smartphone.

My top apps are (on the iPhone):

• Facebook
• Camera + Video
• Mail with Exchange connectivity
• Pandora
• Netflix
• Amazon Kindle¹
• Yelp
• Bejeweled 2

Interestingly enough, I don’t have a need for Flash apps because I’ll only need it for Hulu – which Hulu currently does not supported on Android devices.

The contract price has to be affordable.

Verizon is notorious for overcharging.  They put charges on everything and anything they can.  For data service, they want additional $30 for “unlimited” plan².  Family plan starts at $70 and add $10 per new line.  Total per month with Verizon: $110.

AT&T, on the other hand, charges a little bit less at $25 for limited data (2 Gb/month) , $60 for family plan and $10 per additional line.  Total per month with AT&T: $95³.

So all in all, Verizon is more expensive than AT&T.

As a comparison, I’ve looked at Sprint’s offering.  Monthly family plan starts at $130 for the HTC EVO 4G, plus $10 for “premium data”.  Sprint is obviously not even competitive in this case.

Conclusion

Other than data/voice reliability, it looks like the iPhone 4 and AT&T combination, have the edge.  They have 2 (out of 3) of my requirements.  I should not have to choose a device based on the carrier, but that’s exactly what I have to do now.   It’s too bad my choices are restricted like this.  The entire wireless industry needs to be more competitive: more choices and lower prices.

Photo Credit: Mashable

This article was posted on Rudy Amid's Blog:

Which Smartphone to Get?

1. iBook with PDF support will change this!
2. Verizon will not  have unlimited for very long.
3. With the limited data, I can potentially go over, especially if I plan to do video streaming, or using Skype over 3G.

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I prefer going “creative and cheap”.²

First, I started with a bendable stress toy.  I got it free from a training class I took a few years ago.  The flexible shape can hold the iPhone at many angles.  But, I can only make this work sturdy enough in landscape mode.

Then I started reading about the 69 cents business card holder from Office Depot that can actually hold an iPad.  It obviously works well with the iPhone, but I can’t adjust the tilt.

Lastly, I found the “Mini Magic Stand” that only cost me $2/pair, from Meritline.  Works quite well and it folds for easy transport.  Now I have 4 of these things sitting around the house.

The best part about these holders they’re good for any device, not just an iPhone.

I’m going to keep experimenting.  Being a geek (on a budget), I find this a fun exercise.  My next attempt will involve my daughter making a holder using LEGO and K’NEX parts.

Update: Mashable has an article on Macgyver-style iPhone stands. Suddenly, mine are not so ghetto after all.

This article was posted on Rudy Amid's Blog:

Ghetto iPhone Holders

1. Over 180,000!
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In fact, I wrote this post on my iPhone. The editor is not a rich editor, as I couldn’t find a way to insert a hyperlink. But that’s fine, it’s like writing a Facebook/Twitter status update.

Here’s looking to more mobile blogging.

[Update] The WordPress plugin that automatically converts the site into iPhone friendly is called WPTouch iPhone Theme.

[Update] The official WordPress Admin with Editor is WordPress for iPhone.

This article was posted on Rudy Amid's Blog:

Mobile Phone Friendly

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