Weather Bug

I thought, as time goes by, I’d keep a log of iPhone applications I’m using more often then not. I’ve always enjoyed researching others’ reviews, so some of these might just help some people out.

The first app is one I use almost every day. The built-in weather app for iPhone is fine for general info, but I stumbled on to Weatherbug very early. It gives great forcasts and the best part is the radar mode where I can track precipitation nearby – almost to the minute since you can input a pin at your location. I almost enjoy storms because I can tell right when the worst will be over.

I’ve uses both the free and have the paid version now. The Elite (paid) version adds hourly forcasts I think (worth it) as well as radar in motion which allows you to see the last hour of motion – great for telling where storms are headed.

In my opinion, the free version is a no brainer. Check the extra options on the app store to see if the paid version is for you.

Thanks, Etymotic

I recently had some issues with my Etymotic HF2 Earphones for my iPhone (LOVE them). I lost audio connection and ruled out my phone, so I sent them back to Etymotic for repair. No receipt, no questions, I have a shiney new pair righ here a week later (they replaced them). Just wanted to give a compliment to good customer service. It still exists!

Etymotic Research

Postini

So, the email lance@mooresites.com has been mine for quite a while (many years now). Well, needless to say, sitting here on my website, it’s probably seen every spam list on the net. And, I’ve felt that the past few weeks. I dare say at least half of my email was spam at some point. I run spam filters on my server, and it works great for most users, but I think my email is an exception to the rule. So, I searched. I found Cudamail (from Barracuda) and MXLogic, both services that filter your mail before it even gets to you. Well, both of those were a bit costly for just one email, so I was bummed out.

Enter Google to the rescue. Google bought Postini a while back (I vaguely remember hearing it, but didn’t know what it was). Simply put, I now pay $12 per year (yeah, per YEAR) to get some pretty great spam software. I get . . . wait for it . . . maybe 2 spams per day to my inbox (if any). I’ll gladly pay a dollar a month for that kind of service. With one week in, I’ve only had to approve 2 senders who were caught in the filter.

If you’re not familiar with web servers and the like, you might find it a bit challending to set up (you have to have access to your mail server MX records). If you’re Hotmail, Yahoo, Gmail or the like, don’t worry, you have the best filters already. For all you POP3 folks, though – give this a try.

Happy, happy day.

www.postini.com

iPhone S

I’d like to say I’m the proud owner of an iPhone S (I really would!), but I took one for the team and got Alison one. She found the Facebook app (of which she will be seeking professional help for) and immediately caught the mania that is iPhone. She was used to a snappy little Centro, so I knew some of the lag found in my 3G would catch up with her. The S seems to really smoke the 3G in speed so far. I tested once against mine and it was almost 5 times as fast opening text messages (which has become slower these days for some reason). I’ll bide my time though . . . they’re bound to have something even better when my 2 year contract is up, right?!

Launchy

OK, all you guys and gals who use multiple applications – especially those apps that are hidden deep within your Start menu – are going to love this little application. Thanks to CNET again for tipping me of to this one. I’ve used it for several weeks and it really helps with programs I use fairly often (my main programs are in my quick start menu). All that’s needed is an Alt-Space Bar click and a search box pops up (immediately). For instance, I start to type . . . Aud . . . and immediately, Audacity pops up. I don’t have to finish typing, just enter and it’s rockin’. It has proven very helpful, so go grab it here. (free, lightweight program)