Appiphilia: Reviews of iPhone applications that help with typing and gift giving
This article was originally on a blog post platform and may be missing photos, graphics or links. See About archive blog posts.
Remember Susan Powter, that late-night TV fitness fanatic with the platinum stubble for hair? She used to scream: ‘Stop the insanity!’
Well, that’s the focus of this week’s Appiphilia. We’re looking at a couple of apps that take on two things that drive folks crazy: typing on the iPhone and holiday shopping.
What it is: The iPhone keyboard is cool in concept but often not so hot in practice. I regularly end up typing ‘fir’ when I aim to type ‘for.’ EasyWriter promises to make touch typing on the virtual keyboard a bit easier and more accurate. IPhone users have been chatting about this one on various message boards, and it’s now in the store’s top 10 free apps.
What sizzles: Turning the keyboard to landscape mode spaces out the keys, giving even those of us with thicker thumbs ...
... a fighting chance of coming up with the intended word on the first try. Mavis Beacon would be proud.
The app makes it fairly easy to send new mails or replies using the default e-mail address.
The pinch-zoom feature is a blessing for those of us who strain to read the tiny type.
What fizzles: Why should it have to be a 3rd-party app rather than one from Apple? This should be a native option on the iPhone.
Even though it plays nicely with the mail program, you do still have to switch between the two to accomplish one e-mail. No biggie, but it’s not seamless. Also, I wish I could use it in other apps that are text driven, such as Evernote.
Bottom line: Thumbs up.
What it is: It’s November, and many of us are finally turning our attention to set up for the holidays. Christmas List does what its name suggests: helps you make a list and check it twice.
What sizzles: This is a list-maker’s dream. You can start keeping gift-giving ideas on your iPhone, but protect the list with a password so your kids or significant other will have to work a little harder to find out about their holiday booty when they snag your device for game play.
You can add new names by typing them in or by browsing and selecting folks from your contact list. If you’ve got a gift in mind, you can add it along with your budget for that person. Version 1.2, which is currently in the App Store, incorporates the option to list multiple gifts for one person, something users have been asking for.
When gifts are signed, sealed and delivered, check them off.
Under the shopping list menu, it lists what you’ve spent and your total budget. Plus, this part’s kind of cool: Click ‘shop’ to go to PriceGrabber.com to find items that meet the description.
On your iPhone’s homepage, the icon shows the number of presents still to be bought.
What fizzles: Even though there’s password protection, the developers might want to obscure it with asterisks instead of displaying your secret phrase on the screen as you type it. Prying eyes could easily pick that lock.
The only other thing that might make it a bit better is the option to choose another price comparison site directly from the app.
Bottom line: I looked at several other holiday shopping apps, and this one incorporated the most. It’s a gift to holiday gift-giving.
Appiphiliacs unite!
We have opened a space for app addicts to gather on Facebook: I Have Appiphilia!! You can chat with other iPhone owners, swap tips and tricks and upload images from your favorite home screen. One member has already asked other members about apps that make up their first page. What’s on yours?
I might chime in from time to time, but ultimately, it’s your group. So have at it.
-- Michelle Maltais
Maltais is editorial broadcast manager for the Los Angeles Times.
