International Design Consultancy IDEO have released an iPhone app, a virtual version of their 'Method Cards' first released in 2003. The 'Deck' comprises of 51 cards each one created to inspire and explore the possibilities of design.
IDEO Method Card iPhone Application
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Another great thing about the iPhone is the random games you can download to pass the time. There is an amazing range, but more often than not the best ones are the simplest ideas rather than the best graphics. I've downloads lots, and yet hardly ever return to them to be honest, however here are the ones that actually take up my random time:
If you have an iPhone, you need to get Angry Birds - There is a Lite version (FREE) to try it out, but the full game is only 59p and has a hell of a lot of levels, plus free updates. The idea is simple, you catapult various birds into building blocks and have to destroy the little pigs inside to progress to the next level. Amazing addictive and easy to pick up and play.
I spent a lot of my snowboarding holiday playing this on the coach ride to the resort, as did a lot of other people that lent over my shoulder. Swing the stickman onto a ledge - thats it. Again addictive with a retro look and feel. A free LITE version is available, which is all you need.
Yep! - If you remember, this is the classic point and click adventure from the good ol' days. However it has been updated with new graphics and speech and makes ideal use of the iPhones drag and point system. Plus you can swipe the screen at any time and the graphics will change back to the original old style format - a great trip down memory lane. £4.99 I think, but worth every penny.
Know of any other decent games that pass away the hours? - There are various golf games out there that also work quite well, as do puzzle games. Post a comment if you know of anymore essential games...
I've had my iPhone for a little while now, and can't believe how I lived without it before.
There are an amazing amount of applications out for the iPhone now, some essential, some fun, and some just plain rubbish. Some of them you pay for and others are free, but it can be a bit of minefield trying to find the ones that are worth keeping.
Here are 4 social applications that I couldn't live without when I'm on the move and need to pass some time...
There are many Twitter based Apps out there, but after trying a few, I've settled on Twitteriffic. It's ideal for seeing what your friends and colleagues are up to, and for grabbing bits of information, like when tour dates are being released for comedy events etc.
I use eBuddy to log into my MSN Messenger account. It's a useful way of keeping in quick contact with colleagues if I am out of the office. eBuddy let's you log into MSN or other messenger applications all at once. It's similar to the actual MSN App itself, but much more user friendly.
This one is pretty obvious. A quick way to check what people are up to, see who has posted photos of me up from a night out, and to chat to some of my friends abroad. Basically it lets me be nosey.
If I had to pick my favourite App so far, it would definitely be WhatsApp. WhatsApp is basically like text messaging on the iPhone. Though you can only message other friends who have this application. The App costs a one off payment of 59p, after that you can text any of your friends for free. The added features that make it so good is you can attach photos and video messages to the conversation and send them for free too. So for instance, a friend on holiday in New Zealand can send me a video clip pretty much instantly of him enjoying a beer on the beach, and I can send him a picture of my alarm clock in return, for waking me up at a stupid hour.
There are so many Apps out there, but the best ones are usually found through word of mouth.
So what are your favourite iPhone Apps? - Comment below to recommend any other essential iPhone Apps you can't live without, or just random ones that have no real meaning but are worth looking at...
On Saturday, Apple officially launched its “iPhone on steroids” (otherwise known as the iPad) in the U.S and sold an estimated 300,000 to the eagerly awaiting public. Consumers, so excited by their initial purchase, then continued their Apple shopping spree by buying close to 1 million apps and 250,000 e-books in just 24 hours.
Steve Jobs, Apple CEO, said, “iPad users on average downloaded more than three apps and close to one book within hours of unpacking their new iPad.”
The intimate sales relationship which exists between the iPhone and iStore is obviously set to be replicated with the iPad and so, just as with the mobile app market, many companies are jumping on the bandwagon in order to capitalise on the brand exposure available in this new market.
Guardian News & Media has already teamed up with photography firm Canon to publish the Guardian Eyewitness photography app for the iPad. The app will enable users to see the striking images, usually showcased in the centre spread of the newspaper, in quite literally a different light as they view them full-screen and in electronic format.
Ensuring websites are iPad friendly is another priority for brands. Clicker, the comprehensive search engine for TV content on the web, is launching a special iPad version of its site. Through indexing TV footage in HTML5, Quicktime and H.264 formatted videos the site will ensure that iPad users’ are able to watch everything they’ve searched for with minimum frustration.
What impact is the iPad going to have on the Media Industry?
Can what The Economist called “a giant iPhone on steroids” really save this sickly sector from obsolescence?
With piracy and free downloads gradually letting the lifeblood from the Music and Publishing Industries, an easy-to-use touch screen device at a significant but still portable size, is likely to dramatically improve the users experience of reading, watching and listening online.
However as much as apple leads the way in technology, the failure of the Palm Pre and other touch phones to successfully compete with the iPhone demonstrates that their core asset is the iStore. It is this which will again block out competitors in the touch tablet market. With the ability to easily, not just download, but more importantly purchase and download high quality music, magazines, books and films, the media Industry should succeed in plastering the wound of piracy for while, as the benefits of quality and ease of accessibility encourage people to purchase media.
But can anything bought really compete with something that’s free? It may stop the bleeding temporarily but only time will tell if the iPad can really help the media industry heal the wound and fully recover.
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