Apps for iphone (& other smartphones)

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Ray Britton

Nomad
Jun 2, 2010
320
0
Bristol
For Iphone

Don't forget the youtube app already included, for all the bushcraft videos you could ever want lol
First aid lite
ecompass (this can be very useful)
Met office
MoonMapLite
3Dcompass
TreesUK
SAS Survival
BirdsUK
BirdGuide
TreeID
Starmap
Memory Map (full GPS)
Fungi
National Trust
Traffic Eye (you have to get where you are going lol)
Wikihood (useful for all sorts of things)
Tankscope (for when you are bored)

Plus all the usual books, programmes and films from Itunes, and don't forget to add an online banking app, for general checking, bill paying and transfers.
If you work shifts, then there are shift apps, so you can easily figure out when you will be free to get outdoors.

Edited to add: If you are thinking of buying a smart phone, and are not sure whether to go android or Iphone, here are a few things to consider.

Iphones are likely to always have more connection options, and most docks in stores will be for iphones, as will dedicated chargers/docks on trains/ships/cars. Iphones will always have the most accessories, and these will be in more shops than other smart phone accesories. Iphones do a lot of things averagely well, but have a short battery life (as they have a very versatile but power hungry LCD screen)

Android phones, will have less dock/connections (as there are so many of them to cater for V 1 x Iphone dock). They have lots of apps, BUT many people all over the world find they can only buy a limited amount of apps for their android phone, before being blocked from further purchases. This is not a problem in the USA, and so their app designers are not putting pressure in to fix the problem (this is reflected on the relatively tiny amount of apps sold for android phones (as in small numbers per app)). On the plus side, although android phones have less versatile screens, this also means that they use a lot less power (much less) than an Iphone, so this is good for outdoor types. Android phones are also very much quicker to load and operate than Iphones. For example, and average Iphone 3Gs can take 19 seconds to load its 'app store' app, while an average android phone can do the same in less than one second. That is a major difference in operating speed! Andoid phones will often have a better signal in any given area than an average IPhone. Another example (on the same network) is a valley that I often go to, where I have no signal, while my son (on an android) not only has phone signal, but can log onto the net too.

I say all this as an Iphone user (it is better for me for work connectivity purposes), while also having a son (an android user) who designs apps for both Iphone and android markets.
 
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dave53

On a new journey
Jan 30, 2010
2,993
11
70
wales
hi ray you say your son designs apps for android does he know what happened to the dark keys app as when i was using my g1 phone every so often they would send you a system update i updated the system and lost the dark keys app it gave you the ability to turn the backlight of the keyboard off regards dave
 

Adze

Native
Oct 9, 2009
1,874
0
Cumbria
www.adamhughes.net
On the plus side, although android phones have less versatile screens

I don't have this problem with my HTC Desire. Better than a 3Gs by a country mile and the only appreciable difference between it and the iPhone 4 appears to be the inability to use it in direct sunlight... which might require you to "turn around" to see the screen. There's no Android app for this yet apparently, which iPhone users claim as a milestone success over Android :D

...this also means that they use a lot less power (much less) than an Iphone, so this is good for outdoor types.
Mine uses a full battery with moderate use in about 12 hours. You can smoke a full charge in 7 hours without trying too hard and the worst I've had was just under 6 hours with consistently heavy use. It is slightly better than a 3Gs but not enough to shout about to be honest as it's also slightly heavier. There just isn't a big enough difference, in terms of battery life at least, to really call it between either one. I've not had a play with the iPhone 4 yet, so won't comment. Suffice to say the non-removable memory is flaw enough to kill the idea of an iPhone for me.

Android phones are also very much quicker to load and operate than Iphones. For example, and average Iphone 3Gs can take 19 seconds to load its 'app store' app, while an average android phone can do the same in less than one second. That is a major difference in operating speed! Andoid phones will often have a better signal in any given area than an average IPhone. Another example (on the same network) is a valley that I often go to, where I have no signal, while my son (on an android) not only has phone signal, but can log onto the net too.

The seamless integration of your Google account into Android for both contacts and calendar absolutely transforms the user experience. An Android phone without a Google account, even if it's just for the calendar and contacts alone, forgetting Gmail, maps and all the other good stuff, is seriously missing out. My calendar items sync with my desktop mail client in less time than it takes to dial a phone number - it's so close to instant it's indecent. IMAP integration seems better with Android on the Desire than the iPhone too.

There's a lot of hype about app numbers - 300,000+ for the iPhone but only 90,000 odd for Android.

There's a limit to how many useful apps can be developed and how many versions of the same app can realistically be called different. There are at least 6 different die rolling apps for Android which do almost exactly the same thing but with slightly different bells and/or whistles. The same is true of the iPhone. Need an app to tell you how much you should tip your waitress? You'll need an app to go to the toilet next FPS!

If 1% of apps are actually and genuinely useful I'd be very surprised. Certainly it's not been my experience with Android to date, nor that of friends who have iPhones. The majority remain gimmicky and 'fun for a bit' at best - a good example would be my brother in law, who is an exceptional pianist and owns an iPhone and is an incredible Apple phanboi. He doesn't, however, use the iPhone piano keyboard app, he uses a piano.

That said, there are some exceedingly good apps but 300k? Even 90k? Nah... pull the other one ;)

Cheers,
 

W0lf

Tenderfoot
Apr 27, 2009
65
0
London
TAPATALK! So you can log into BCUK and other bushcraft forums natively!! (Saves a lot of time with download speeds).

(Sorrry of this has already been mentioned ... only skimmed the other suggestions)
 
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luckylee

On a new Journey
Aug 24, 2010
2,412
0
birmingham
i no people moan about the battery life of the iPhone, and it is s***t, but, if you buy a proporta turbo charger for it, i very rarely have any proplems any more with running out of battery, i get 4 and a half full charges out of this, and when I'm away camping say for 3 days, i always have enough battery. It solved the battery problem for me, it goes from, nearly ran out, to fully charged in about 15 to 20 Min's, its great.
hope this helps lads.
lee.
 

treefrog

Full Member
Aug 4, 2008
650
35
South Yorkshire
Tip to extend battery life on iphones. (latest software)
press menu button twice. This opens panel at the bottom of the screen showing applications running in the background. keep a finger on an icon until a minus sign appears. touch the minus sign to close these items running in the background. With these applications closed, the battery will last longer. The applications simply open again when selected.
 

Ray Britton

Nomad
Jun 2, 2010
320
0
Bristol
Just mentioned this one on another thread, so will add it here (without checking the the rest of the thread).

There is an app for your favourite Dutch oven recipes. It allows you to list the ingredients, and add a picture of the meal itself, for future reference.
 

Ray Britton

Nomad
Jun 2, 2010
320
0
Bristol
Adze

Default

Quote Originally Posted by Ray Britton View Post
On the plus side, although android phones have less versatile screens
I don't have this problem with my HTC Desire. Better than a 3Gs by a country mile and the only appreciable difference between it and the iPhone 4 appears to be the inability to use it in direct sunlight... which might require you to "turn around" to see the screen. There's no Android app for this yet apparently, which iPhone users claim as a milestone success over Android

Do you care to explain how your HTC Desire screen is better than an Iphones screen. I only ask as they use the same system to register the inputs form your fingers, and thus have the same electronic fields within them!

Perhaps, I should have said that 'traditionally' (my error) android phones had less versatile screens (especially as the desire uses the same type as the Iphone) than Iphones, which meant they used less power (this has nothing at all to do with pixels or viewing quality).

I have to say that I have never heard an Iphone user claim anything about seeing their screen in bright sunlight, but then having sold a lot of equipment with LCD screens, I know that you can't do properly it with any Iphone either lol. So no disadvantage for either system there.....They are both poor lol :) What is even more annoying is that all smart phones could have bright sun viewable screens, and for hardly any extra power loss, but it is not something a majority customers seem to want on the whole (this is from my own experience of asking them for over a year)!

Edited to add: "You'll need an app to go to the toilet next FPS!"

There are already apps for this lol, including ones where you can describe your stools and share it with other phone users around the world! ...How bizarre.
 
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luckylee

On a new Journey
Aug 24, 2010
2,412
0
birmingham
Tip to extend battery life on iphones. (latest software)
press menu button twice. This opens panel at the bottom of the screen showing applications running in the background. keep a finger on an icon until a minus sign appears. touch the minus sign to close these items running in the background. With these applications closed, the battery will last longer. The applications simply open again when selected.
Thats a great bit of advice mate, just done that, and the amount of stuff that was on that bit at the bottom was unbelievable, thanks alloy mate.
 

lostplanet

Full Member
Aug 18, 2005
2,124
243
53
Kent
I complained to the Apple store about my 3gs battery life, they said turn off 3G when you don't need it, it has made a slight improvement.

home screen>settings>general>network> enable 3G - switch off
 

W0lf

Tenderfoot
Apr 27, 2009
65
0
London
I complained to the Apple store about my 3gs battery life, they said turn off 3G when you don't need it, it has made a slight improvement.

home screen>settings>general>network> enable 3G - switch off

I regularly use the 3G signal for GPS location when using SatNav on long journeys (as well as golf range finders etc). Everytime my battery would drain too quickly. Then I was told to turn off 'notifications' and 'wifi'. Since then my battery seems to have doubled. Maybe a worth while tip.
 

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