By Samantha Chapnick
Programmers and accessory makers have had a few months now to strut their newly pimped iPhone stuff. After having a ball testing them all, I finally had to sit down and write up my favorite choices for travelers who want to enhance their iPhone experience, become more productive or just bring procrastination to new heights.
FUNCTIONAL
First we’ll look at a few small apps that make everyday tasks easier.
Toodledo
Toodledo is a to-do list maker’s dream come true. It completely eliminates any excuse for not knowing what you had to do, whether you are at your desk or on the road. With almost every to-do list feature anyone could need (including folders, prioritization, multiple viewing options, a notebook, goal-setting, and even a guilt-inducing productivity analysis feature) AND three easy ways to synch on the road, it’s the most comprehensive, simple and free tool out there. With a pro subscription (less than $50 a year) you can collaborate with others, keep completed tasks accessible forever and have an encrypted connection. It also seamlessly hooks into iCal, Google Calendar, Jott, Twitter and other common programs.
I selected Toodledo not only because of its full feature set, but because of the flexibility of accessing it from your iPhone. You can simply go to the mobile version of the site. If you prefer not to have to be online (especially useful for fliers), download Appigo’s ToDo program.
Easy Task Manager
If you want a simpler task manager with all the basic features and no collaboration with others, Easy Task Manager is an easy choice. It is a full-featured to-do list with nothing extraneous — just tasks, prioritization, folders and notes.
Stanza
Stanza is a simple way to read great books and your own documents (all free) from your iPhone. At its most basic level, this fabulous program makes it easy to read books on your iPhone. While it doesn’t have the special screen contrast features of a specialized eReader like the Sony or Kindle, its scroll-free design, intelligent navigation and Open eBook standard makes it by far the best iPhone reader there is.
For business travelers who regularly read docs on the road, it offers another major benefit: By using the app in conjunction with the desktop version, almost any document can be converted to the ebook format. Translation: those cumbersome reports and pdfs suddenly become very iPhone friendly.
ABOVE AND BEYOND
These apps make such good use of the iPhone’s essence that they extend it beyond its basic uses. This is really where the device and apps shine.
Urban Spoon
Saying Urban Spoon is the way coolest, most awesome app I’ve used on the iPhone would really sum it up if I weren’t getting paid to write these reviews.
Imagine using a slot machine to decide where to go to eat and you basically understand Urban Spoon. Upon launching, it automatically detects your location (city) or you can enter it manually. Three columns appear: neighborhood, type of cuisine (e.g. Italian, Mexican) and budget ($ to $$$$). Under each is a lock, click any combination or all and shake the iPhone. The slots will spin (with an accompanying sound effect), and a suggested restaurant will appear along with a rating from other Urban Spoon users. Click the name and you’ll get details including full reviews from both popular media (e.g. New York Times) and users.
Beyond being one of the most unique interfaces out there, the content is actually very good. It almost always comes up with restaurants we like, and more importantly doesn’t seem to have any glaring gaps. It even helped us find two restaurants in Charleston, South Carolina that we didn’t know existed.
