by admin on August 25, 2010
Since the iPhone was originally introduced in January of 2007, there has been an undeniable explosion in the number of apps that are available for it. At the beginning of August, 2010, there were over 200,000 applications on hand in the app store.
Maybe before too long, Apple will introduce the iPhone X-1000-something, it will have 50 terabytes of storage space, and it’ll just come pre-loaded with all 200,000 apps. In the meantime, though, we’re stuck with the (ho-hum) limitation of a mere 16 gigabytes of storage space, so we have to be a bit choosier about the stuff we load on onto our iPhones.
So which apps are the best ones to get?
Well, there’s no shortage of online opinion pieces to help you with that. For purposes of this little discussion, though, we’ll focus on a few developers that have brought mini-collections of apps (let’s call them series) to the store for your consideration:
• The iParrot language translation series provides easy-to-use tools that divide key phrases into categories, such as getting help, shopping, transportation, greetings and more. Most major worldwide languages are included, and they are grouped into two-language mini-apps that translate back and forth from German to English, for example. iParrot is available via apple.com downloads.
• Kogan Page, a bestselling publisher of business-related books and guides, has made their Creating Success series available via a free iPhone app. The series has sold over one million copies in print, and there is valuable information included within it for a variety of business and industry subjects.
If you’re stuck lamenting which apps to get for your iPhone, consider trying an app series like the ones above. You may well discover that you can get what you need in one tidy icon, instead of cluttering your home screen with individual apps to accomplish the same task.
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by admin on August 23, 2010
For most kids growing up in today’s high-technology world, things like Lincoln Logs and Tonka trucks (the metal ones, anyway) would seem more at home in a museum than in their toy chests. Their parents, on the other hand, remember such relics almost as fondly as the outlandish concept of actually playing outside.
Outlandish, indeed.
If you’re a parent and you’re reading this, you know all about what it’s like trying to pry an Xbox controller out of your twelve-year old’s hands. Tell the kid to go play outdoors, and he’s likely to manifest an impressive tantrum. At a minimum, he’s sure to negotiate a settlement that will keep him inside, where he can happily pursue some other sort of tech-heavy entertainment.
Today, such a negotiation may well include begging Mommy or Daddy for a few minutes alone with their iPhone. And surprisingly, those few minutes could ultimately turn into time well spent – or at least, they can be a reasonable alternative to (gasp) physical activity in the back yard.
In response to the ever-growing popularity of iPhone applications, PBS (the same folks who brought Sesame Street to the screen) is looking to mobile communications as a new outlet for reaching children. They are reaching past the now-traditional scene of a child using Daddy’s iPhone to play games, and hoping to use the device as an educational tool instead.
PBS has contracted with developers to build several applications designed to offer educational benefits. A recent study by the Department of Education suggests that one PBS application improved user vocabulary by up to 31%.
Not bad, considering that PBS apps cost $2.99 at most. That’s a lot less expensive than a private school education.
Developers like SocialJitney have recognized this area as a growth opportunity for quite some time. SocialJitney, even recently created a child’s application for a partner that reached number one in the Education category for the iPhone.
For their part, naysayer’s who have panned the iPhone as more of a consumer toy than a business tool may point to children’s applications as further evidence that the iPhone belongs at home instead of the office. But if your child turns his nose up when he unwraps a box of Lego ® bricks on his birthday, try handing him your iPhone. Equipped with the right applications, you may well find it to be an excellent supplement to his out-of-school education.
PBS thinks so, anyway.
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