iPhone Apps of the Week 2-1

Well, instead of posting a mass recommendation queue of iPhone applications for you guys, I’m going to start going to do them a few at a time. This is mostly so I can post more efficiently and regularly. Also, it lets me give you guys my initial reactions about an application without the editing (which I do quite a bit of in the mass updates) taking so long. Anyways, for those of you familiar with the process, keep on reading, and for those of you who are new….what took you so long to get here? Welcome. Now, here are some of my iPhone muses of this week.

Gowalla – This application was recommended to me by a couple of my Twitter friends that I met at a networking event called a “tweetup”. Gowalla is the companion iPhone/iPod Touch app to the popular social networking trek website. Gowalla is a mixture of Loopt and role-playing game elements. Why do I say it has role-playing game? Because you collect stuff as you tag your locations. You can also become a founder of a spot by dropping one of your items for someone else to pick up. I really don’t know the reason for picking up items, or how you gain credit, experience, or gold, but it still has my attention. The location aware portion of the app is decently accurate, though a little slow sometimes. Many spots that you visit will be on the Spots list, but if you don’t see where you are, then you can create and found a new spot. You may not have to, as the spot my show up if you just wait. There are also things on there called “trips”, which are places that you need to visit in order to earn a badge. Hence the RPG (role-playing game) elements. You are basically on a social networking quest. The ability to post tags and check-ins to your Twitter and Facebook feeds is really helpful, too. You get to go travel and see places, leaving your mark, and you can collect stuff. Yeah, it doesn’t seem like much to you now, but this can be really fun, especially in really popular places. Who says being adventurous requires camping? Price: Free.

AAA Roadside Assistance – The reason this app is my app of the week (and possibly the year) is because on MORE than one occasion, this app has saved my life. If you don’t know, my car really sucks. The battery randomly dies because the lights randomly click on. I used the AAA Roadside Assistance app to request a jump start many a time. You, of course, can request any service that AAA offers from this app. The app is actually incredibly intuitive, linear, and simple. Once you enter your account number, it saves it for later requests. You can even use the app to describe the location that you are making your request from. I’m actually waiting for a jump start right now, as I’m typing this. Yes, you read that correctly. No, I’m not making this up. Yes, I’m doing this right now. The app even allows for you to save your vehicle(s) and account(s) so you don’t have to keep searching for your AAA card every time you have some trauma. It even has a “Call 911″ function if you are in an accident and need to do so. This app is a must have for anyone with a AAA card and a car. The price tag is nothing to complain about, either. Very useful for even finding places to get your car repaired. Price: Free.

~ by LB on February 2, 2010.