10 Things You Can Control With Your iPhone

It can be hard to keep up with technological advances. So many neat gadgets, so little time! On the other hand, it's important to get the most out of your gadgets (especially the ones you already own). Not only does knowledge equate to power, but in this case knowing about technology is also fun, cool, and practical. Staying abreast of technology options can save time,
money, and create convenience.



Smartphones, in particular, are becoming more and more sophisticated with a broader range
of abilities. Apple's iPhone is one of the most powerful smartphones on the market. Developers
have created thousands of amazing apps for the iPhone. Some of the best apps are widgets that
allow an iPhone or iPod Touch to be used as a remote control. Let's look at 10 things you can
control with your iPhone.

VLC or Boxee.

The Video LAN client, a popular, free media player application, can be controlled using
your iPhone. Just download the free VLC Remote app (or buy a premium version). If you have
Boxee, use your iPhone as a remote for this as well.

Xbox.

The iPhone can be used as a remote control for the Xbox Media Center. Watch movies on your
Mac the easy way—with a remote! You'll need to download the XBMC Remote app.

iTunes.

This practical and free remote app (launched with the original iPhone and App Store) allows
you to control iTunes from Wi-Fi range. You'll be able to adjust the volume, pause, or find a
different song all from the comfort of your bed or from another room in the house. Other apps
will control home stereo systems.

Apple TV.

The same free app that works with iTunes will also work to control Apple TV's box—a much
better alternative than the plastic remote that comes with Apple TV.

Auto Security.

In addition to entertainment options, the iPhone has many other practical capabilities. Keep an
eye on your car or truck from a distance using your iPhone as a security monitoring camera by
downloading one of the many monitoring apps from the App Store.

Home Security.

The best way to keep burglars out is to keep them guessing. Home automation apps allow you
to use your iPhone to lock and unlock doors, and adjust the lighting throughout the house from
afar.

Presentations.

The iPhone can be used for business purposes. Use your iPhone to remotely control business
presentations. Most apps are only $0.99!

Computer.

Your iPhone or iPod Touch can be used as a wireless trackpad and keyboard using an app like
the Air Mouse Pro by Mobile Mouse Pro.

VNC.

Virtual network computing (VNC) lets you view and control desktop software remotely.

Photoshop.

Last but not least, Adobe Photoshop can be controlled via a toolbar on your iPhone.

With so many outstanding free apps, it's easy to take advantage of technology. Apple's constant
record of innovation means plenty of options for your iPhone now and in the future.

Guest post by @mrscathypierce. Cathy Pierce is a business professional turned stay-at-home mom. She loves her kids, good TV and the Web.

10 iPhone Apps for London Visitors

Visiting central London can be akin to planning a military exercise - parking spaces, tube closures, choosing a show or a restaurant - whether you’re a dyed-in-the-wool Londoner or a first-time tourist, information is always your friend!

Here are 10 iPhone apps to make your life a little easier. All are free unless stated otherwise, click on the name of the App to open it in iTunes.

Tube Map



Don’t be lost before your London journey has even begun with this scrollable tube map and route planner. App includes updates on line delays and will find the nearest tube station to where you are. No network connection is required to use the map – handy when you’re 100ft underground!

Park-up London

If you’re bold enough to drive into central London, this nifty parking guide will give you the ‘battleground’ advantage. App comes with details of over 10,000 parking places, including car parks, street parking, disabled and motorcycle bays. Hours and costs are visible for each location, as are the rates of vehicle crime. £2.99

London Journey Planner

Plan your best route around town with this London journey planner. View maps of your location and destination, browse suggested routes and get updates on the various TFL (Transport for London) services, including Tube, Rail, DLR, Bus, Coach and River. 59p

London Cycle



Get on your Boris Bike with this feature-packed app that will help you make the most of the London cycle-hire scheme. Find cycle stations, safe directions and real time information about whether a station is full or empty. App comes with rental timer and alarm, giving you time to re-dock before those unpleasant extra charges apply.

London Shophound

Napoleon famously called the UK a nation of shopkeepers. With thousands of stores, from bric-a-brac to haute couture, London is the undisputed retail capital. This app gives you the insider info on more than 130 of the city’s best shops, including fashion, food and drink and books & music, illustrated with colour photos. Time to get bargain hunting! £1.19


Time Out London

Looking for a restaurant or a place to chill? This free listings guide has information on hundreds of bars, restaurants and events. Find out what’s going on in the city, and put a wealth of entertainment possibilities at your fingertips. Sponsored by Smirnoff, you must be 18 or older to use the app.

Toiluxe



Don’t be caught short London again, with this brilliant map of free luxury toilets. Why spend 30p at a railway station when there could be a free super-loo in the ground floor of the department store right across the street? Over 300 free super-loos have been catalogued for your convenience, with quick directions from your current location!

Street Museum

Get an old perspective on contemporary London, with an app that lets you look through the window of time. Select your destination and see the same location appear on your screen in an historic image from the Museum of London archives. Tap the info button for historical facts and delve a little deeper into the story of one of the world’s fastest changing cities.

London Walks



With over 60 walks to choose from, and an easy-to-follow audio guide, this app proves that using a little shoe leather is definitely the best way to discover the city. However, if you just feel like having a coffee instead, you can enjoy a virtual walk from the comfort of your own phone! £1.19

London Taxi

Based on the TFL Taxi Tariff and estimated traffic congestion, this handy app calculates the fare, time and route for your London taxi journeys. Calculate a taxi fare between any 2 points and see the distance of your trip. Preset London points include tube and train stations - particularly useful for making those late trains home! 59p

Guest post by Ben Piper of UK Tickets.
Please get in contact if you are interested in adding a guest post.

Blackberry to Release NewTouch Screen Smartphone

Research In Motion have announced a new Blackberry smartphone which does away with the traditional Blackberry design in favour of a touch screen. Blackberry's previous touch screen device the Storm received some mixed reviews with some complaining about the device's ease of use. The Torch 9800 (yes, Torch not Touch) will have a 3.2 inch touch screen albeit with a slide out keyboard also.



Blackberry's market share has been falling recently as they struggle to compete with Android Smartphones and the iPhone 4. Whilst Blackberry have always had great messaging features they have found it difficult to shift the image of a company that creates devices that are functional rather than fun.

The shift to a larger touch screen reflects the changing usage patterns brought about by the shift to 3g smart phones. Modern phones need provide a great web surfing experience in order to appeal to users and that can't be done with a small screen. A recent survey found that 50% of Blackberry users were 'interested' in buying an iPhone or Android device when their contract ended.

RIM are hoping that this device will be an iPhone killer (personally I don't think we're going to see one for quite some time). Avi Greengart of Current Analysis thinks that the device will be popular with users of previous RIM devices: "If you're a BlackBerry fan and you're looking for a great browsing experience and a better touch interface without losing the BlackBerry experience, the Torch will make many fans very happy."

Top 5 Free Mobile Travel Apps

These day I wouldn't dream of traveling without my mobile phone although I rarely use it to make calls. Built in GPS means that I almost never get lost (unless I stray out of reach of a decent signal) and my collection of Travel apps keep me amused and informed.

An internet enabled mobile phone is also a great guide book and reference tool. Wondering when that Cathedral was built? Looking for a cheap place to eat? Need to work out a currency conversion? Google has all the answers and more.

Below are 5 of the best mobile Apps for travelers all of which are free to download and use. Some of these Apps are available on other platforms, if not there are likely to be alternatives. If you have anything else to add please do so in the comments.

1. Flightview [iPhone] [Blackberry] [Web]

Flightview lets you keep up to date with flight schedules, weather conditions and the status of your flight. Enter your Airport code (LDN, JFK e.t.c) and your flight number for real time information.
"Receive alerts concerning flight status changes, flight delays, flight cancellations and gate assignment changes, whether your app is open or closed. Use the Notes feature to add car hire and hotel reservation numbers, and other important trip information."




2. Google Maps App [web] [mobile]

The most used feature of my phone when I travel, Google Maps lets you see where you are when combined with the built in GPS which most Smart Phones now have. You can find directions and follow your progress on the map in real time. Use the search feature to locate cash points, coffee shops and train stations. You can also read customer reviews of restaurants and hotels to help you make up your mind.

3. Wi-Fi Finder [Web] [iPhone]

Its pretty obvious what this one does but why? Well roaming data rates can be extortionate so using Wifi can save you a lot of money on your return. Also if you happen own a iPod or non 3G iPad then you are reliant on a Wifi connection to get online. If you can find a free Hotspot then it is a much better option than visiting a cyber cafe.

4. Urbanspoon [iPhone]

Urban spoon helps you to choose where to eat which is particularly useful when you find yourself in a new city with no local knowledge. The user interface is a pleasure to use, simply select a location, a type of cuisine and a price range then shake to see what is suggested. If you don't like what come up then just shake again until you get a satisfactory answer.





5. AccuWeather [iPhone]

Being away from home it can be difficult to keep up to date with the weather forecast. When you are traveling the chances are you will be outside a lot of the time and therefore will need to dress appropriately. The AcuuWeather app using you location and gives you a fairly reliable indication of the approaching weather conditions.

Mobile Networks Competing for Apple iPad Exclusivity

When Apple launched their latest device, the iPad many were quick to mock. The name and the size of the device seemed comical to most of us and yet interest in the iPad is high and it will no doubt sell like hot cakes. Suddenly people are looking down at their iPhones and iPods and deciding that they are lacking in size, what they really need is some kind of tablet device in a sleek black case without a removable battery.

The cheaper iPad models will, like the iPod touch, only connect to the internet via a Wifi connection. The higher end models will connect via 3G and will therefore require a contract iPad SIM card and a data contract. This has lead to a lot of interest from some of the UKs biggest mobile phone providers who want to sell the iPad. Apple executives are apparently in the country currently meeting with representatives from O2, Orange and Vodafone in order to decide who will be in on the launch.



It is not yet clear if any of the providers will have exclusive dibs on the iPad, although they would no doubt be more than happy to sign an exclusive deal. It is more likely that Apple will choose several of the big suppliers in order to maximize exposure and create competition. With Apple likely to take up to 30% of data revenues (as they do with the iPhone) the margins will be slim but the potential exposure will be great.

Whilst the interest in the iPad was inevitable (chuck an Apple logo on anything and it'll sell) it seems to be an indication of where things are headed. There appears to be a split in the mobile devices available between smart phones/ mobile computers and more basic pay as you go type phones. Most providers now offer free SIM card at one end of the spectrum and very high tech devices at the other end.

Nokia X6 Aims to Rival the iPhone

Nokia have released more details about their upcoming handset the X6 which aims to take back some of the smartphone market from other handsets such as the iPhone. The X6 is a touch screen device with audio, video and gaming features which will be marketed as an all round entertainment portal. It has the ability to stream television content via a 3g internet connection along with the normal music playing capabilities.



Nokia are apparently ready to launch their biggest ever marketing campaign in support of the X6 including television spots using the tag line 'Come Get Entertained'. It is clear that Nokia are keen to make a big splash with the X6 and that they are hoping it will be as popular as the iPhone.

As with their other devices Nokia are linking the X6 with their Ovi store with a 'Comes With Music' package. Considering the the CWM service only managed to entice 23,000 users by April 2009, I'm surprised that they are still advertising it.

Would You Browse for Furniture on your Phone?

Every company now seems to feel like they should have a Twitter account and an iPhone app. Where they were once hesitant about going online they are now desperate to appear cool by mastering the latest social networking craze or spending all their money on a fancy website. Having refused to get online until people stopped coming into their shops they are now reaching out via the web and learning fun phrases like Web 2.0, the Tipping Point and Crowd Sourcing.



Both House of Frasier and Ikea have released versions of their 2010 catalogs as iPhone apps. The apps let you browse through what is available in store although it is not actually possible to buy products via the Ikea one (Ikea only deliver to certain areas so online sales aren't their strong point). A lot of the items these companies sell would need to be seen in person (you wouldn't buy a sofa without seeing it) but the apps aim to give customers 'inspiration'.

Some have questioned the usefulness of a phone application when it comes to selling furniture. Bill Westerman, CTO of Create with Context believes that it is unlikely to be cost effective: "The enormous cost of development won’t always be financially sensible. The aim of any app is to tap into customer loyalty, keep shoppers interested in the brand and ultimately make money."



Most people in the UK wont have the ability to use an iPhone application so perhaps retailers would be better off trying to make a really great mobile site. Mobile sites are getting more hits than ever before as more and more phones become able to access the web. A great mobile site would need to be accessible to those with slower connections or at least have high and low bandwidth versions.

American Mobile Broadband Usage Rises

As I have mentioned previously Mobile Broadband has taken off in a big way. An increasingly large percentage of the population connects via a mobile device and the demographic continues to widen. Until now there has been less information available about mobile broadband take-up in America. A new report from the Pew Research Center has changed that.

The report shows that mobile connections are continuing to increase in popularity in the USA. Around 56 percent of American Adults have used a mobile connection in 2009 in 2007 this figure was around 25 percent. It is worth noting that the research includes connections via 3G mobile devices for instance high-end mobile phones. The launch of the iPhone has helped to popularize internet enabled portable devices and gone part of the way to banishing the terrible memories of WAP connection and tiny screens.

"Mobile access strengthens the three pillars of online engagement: connecting with others, satisfying information queries and sharing content with others" - John B. Horrigan of the Pew Project

19 percent of Americans questioned said that they use a mobile internet device (either a cell phone or a mobile broadband enabled laptop) on a daily basis. The fact that the best mobile broadband offers continue to decrease in price and the availability of good pay as you go mobile broadband with greater coverage means that these figures are likely to increase. Good internet access is becoming the number one selling point for new mobile phones and the technology is improving rapidly. I wouldn't be surprised if this time next year two thirds of Americans had connected via a mobile device at some point.