What killer APs ya got?
March 29, 2010 12:53 PM Subscribe
What APs would you recommend for an iPod Touch newbie?
The missus & I are hopelessly behind the technology curve (I still have my Cingular phone) --
Last summer, as part of a phone company internet/phone/satellite dish bundle promotion, we received an 8 Gb iPod Touch. Busy with vacation plans at the time, we promptly put it in a drawer and forgot about it. After finding it the other day, I charged it up and have been playing around with it and installing some APs.
You guys are light-years ahead of me - What APs have you found most useful & recommend I install, free or paid, and why?
Any favorite games for the missus?
Thankee kindly....
The missus & I are hopelessly behind the technology curve (I still have my Cingular phone) --
Last summer, as part of a phone company internet/phone/satellite dish bundle promotion, we received an 8 Gb iPod Touch. Busy with vacation plans at the time, we promptly put it in a drawer and forgot about it. After finding it the other day, I charged it up and have been playing around with it and installing some APs.
You guys are light-years ahead of me - What APs have you found most useful & recommend I install, free or paid, and why?
Any favorite games for the missus?
Thankee kindly....
This question gets asked a lot. 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9.
Remember to search!
posted by pecknpah at 1:12 PM on March 29, 2010 [1 favorite]
Remember to search!
posted by pecknpah at 1:12 PM on March 29, 2010 [1 favorite]
In addition to searching the archives, you might want to search for "apps" as opposed to "APs" which means something entirely different.
posted by mmascolino at 1:12 PM on March 29, 2010 [5 favorites]
posted by mmascolino at 1:12 PM on March 29, 2010 [5 favorites]
If you want specific recommendations, in case previous threads don't help or the advice seems old, it would be helpful to know what kinds of things you like, or hope to do on the iPod. For instance, I can't recommend the most awesome shoot-em-up games, because I don't play those, and I don't need a complicated calendar/list-making app, so I've never used any of them and can't recommend any. Like that. Good luck and have fun!
posted by rtha at 1:25 PM on March 29, 2010
posted by rtha at 1:25 PM on March 29, 2010
DO NOT BUY ANYTHING BY POPCAP GAMES.
Unless you have time to burn.
posted by Artw at 1:34 PM on March 29, 2010 [1 favorite]
Unless you have time to burn.
posted by Artw at 1:34 PM on March 29, 2010 [1 favorite]
They are "apps." Short for "applications." MetaFilter is so full of iPhone app questions that "iphone" is usually one of the top 20 tags each month, so try reading all those questions.
posted by k. at 1:47 PM on March 29, 2010 [2 favorites]
posted by k. at 1:47 PM on March 29, 2010 [2 favorites]
Artw - I as just about to rec Plants vs Zombies! Makes my commute zip on by. BRAINS!!
posted by mokeydraws at 2:10 PM on March 29, 2010
posted by mokeydraws at 2:10 PM on March 29, 2010
Unless you have time to burn.
I have seen the enemy, and it is Bejeweled2.
posted by jquinby at 2:11 PM on March 29, 2010 [2 favorites]
I have seen the enemy, and it is Bejeweled2.
posted by jquinby at 2:11 PM on March 29, 2010 [2 favorites]
I use Bills to help organize bill payments and reminders.
I use Gas Cubby to track gas fill-ups and car maintenance.
I use Amazon Kindle for iPhone to access my partner's Kindle library.
I use Dragon Dictation to speak notes into my phone. I can then copy and paste the text into a to-do list, email, etc.
I use the built-in iTunes app to listen to a small part of my music library.
I play I Love Katamari every now and again, when I need a fix.
All of these fall into my definition of "killer" apps. They make my life easier and more pleasant.
posted by Blazecock Pileon at 2:21 PM on March 29, 2010
I use Gas Cubby to track gas fill-ups and car maintenance.
I use Amazon Kindle for iPhone to access my partner's Kindle library.
I use Dragon Dictation to speak notes into my phone. I can then copy and paste the text into a to-do list, email, etc.
I use the built-in iTunes app to listen to a small part of my music library.
I play I Love Katamari every now and again, when I need a fix.
All of these fall into my definition of "killer" apps. They make my life easier and more pleasant.
posted by Blazecock Pileon at 2:21 PM on March 29, 2010
I'm another one of those folks who just got an iPong recently and I think everyone goes through the same "what to get?" conundrum and hopes people can give them good advice because the "there's an app for that" stuff can get confusing.
So for me, I decided to get a few things based on needs and desires. I travel a lot and my iPhone is more of a timewaster than a utility so I got the NYT crossword puzzles and a few free games called Word Pops and Word Warp [free versions, I'll pay for the full versions if I like them]. I'm a Flickr user so I got the Flickr app and there are a few websites I'm using all the time so I got their little apps as well [Wikipedia, IMDB]. I tried a few more games and apps I didn't care for [Kayak's app and zombie somethingorother] so I deleted them when I was clear I wasn't going to use them anymore. I'll probably pay for the Scrabble app at some point. I liked using Foursquare when I was at SXSW to see where my friends were. I need to find a good chat app.
So i think you may need to narrow this down more. What do you use [or see yourself using] the iPod Touch for? When do you expect to have it on you?
posted by jessamyn at 2:21 PM on March 29, 2010
So for me, I decided to get a few things based on needs and desires. I travel a lot and my iPhone is more of a timewaster than a utility so I got the NYT crossword puzzles and a few free games called Word Pops and Word Warp [free versions, I'll pay for the full versions if I like them]. I'm a Flickr user so I got the Flickr app and there are a few websites I'm using all the time so I got their little apps as well [Wikipedia, IMDB]. I tried a few more games and apps I didn't care for [Kayak's app and zombie somethingorother] so I deleted them when I was clear I wasn't going to use them anymore. I'll probably pay for the Scrabble app at some point. I liked using Foursquare when I was at SXSW to see where my friends were. I need to find a good chat app.
So i think you may need to narrow this down more. What do you use [or see yourself using] the iPod Touch for? When do you expect to have it on you?
posted by jessamyn at 2:21 PM on March 29, 2010
I use Dragon Dictation to speak notes into my phone. I can then copy and paste the text into a to-do list, email, etc.
I can't remember if the Touch has a microphone or not, so this might not be of any use to you, actually.
posted by Blazecock Pileon at 2:30 PM on March 29, 2010
I can't remember if the Touch has a microphone or not, so this might not be of any use to you, actually.
posted by Blazecock Pileon at 2:30 PM on March 29, 2010
Just use the microphone that comes attached to the headphones. It works fine.
posted by pecknpah at 3:06 PM on March 29, 2010
posted by pecknpah at 3:06 PM on March 29, 2010
Response by poster: OK, my fault for a lousy search - thanks for the answers anyway!
posted by Pressed Rat at 3:13 PM on March 29, 2010
posted by Pressed Rat at 3:13 PM on March 29, 2010
DO NOT BUY ANYTHING BY POPCAP GAMES.
Do not listen to the bitter Zombie-bitten man behind the curtain. The mushrooms will soon deal with him.
I've never bought anything above a buck before Plants vs. Zombies (it's $3) but it was undoubtably the best bang for buck I've ever had. Bonus is that it doesn't get wacky about connectivity (I don't think it requires any,) so it's perfect for a Touch. Super Bonus is that it's wilder the second play-through.
Failing that, download the free Sunset. Very different game (more FPS) but free, and shows off the HTML app concept that Apple was promoting before they gave into the devs and did native apps and then got tons of shit for restrictions and...
Just give it a try. Don't cost nothin'.
posted by ChurchHatesTucker at 11:36 AM on March 30, 2010 [1 favorite]
Do not listen to the bitter Zombie-bitten man behind the curtain. The mushrooms will soon deal with him.
I've never bought anything above a buck before Plants vs. Zombies (it's $3) but it was undoubtably the best bang for buck I've ever had. Bonus is that it doesn't get wacky about connectivity (I don't think it requires any,) so it's perfect for a Touch. Super Bonus is that it's wilder the second play-through.
Failing that, download the free Sunset. Very different game (more FPS) but free, and shows off the HTML app concept that Apple was promoting before they gave into the devs and did native apps and then got tons of shit for restrictions and...
Just give it a try. Don't cost nothin'.
posted by ChurchHatesTucker at 11:36 AM on March 30, 2010 [1 favorite]
I've never bought anything above a buck before Plants vs. Zombies...
DAMN YOUR EYES, SIR.
chomper ftw
posted by jquinby at 8:12 AM on March 31, 2010
DAMN YOUR EYES, SIR.
chomper ftw
posted by jquinby at 8:12 AM on March 31, 2010
chomper ftw
I am intrigued by your ideas, sir, and wish to subscribe to your newsletter.
posted by ChurchHatesTucker at 11:33 AM on March 31, 2010
I am intrigued by your ideas, sir, and wish to subscribe to your newsletter.
posted by ChurchHatesTucker at 11:33 AM on March 31, 2010
A couple things I haven't seen mentioned in the older questions, no idea whether they're of interest to you.
There's a Wolfram Alpha app, which used to be ridiculously expensive, but they just dropped the price to $2. Requires wifi except for basic calculator functions.
The Shapewriter app lets you type in a really different way, by drawing shapes on a keyboard corresponding to the words you're typing. It's actually amazing how well it works & how fast it is. There is a learning curve, and it's kind of a pain since you have to go into the app to type, but if you want to compose long blocks of text on the ipod it could be much better than the regular keyboard.
posted by yarrow at 9:16 AM on April 2, 2010
There's a Wolfram Alpha app, which used to be ridiculously expensive, but they just dropped the price to $2. Requires wifi except for basic calculator functions.
The Shapewriter app lets you type in a really different way, by drawing shapes on a keyboard corresponding to the words you're typing. It's actually amazing how well it works & how fast it is. There is a learning curve, and it's kind of a pain since you have to go into the app to type, but if you want to compose long blocks of text on the ipod it could be much better than the regular keyboard.
posted by yarrow at 9:16 AM on April 2, 2010
This thread is closed to new comments.
And there are plenty of others in the archives. Remember always to do a search before you ask a question.
posted by greta simone at 1:04 PM on March 29, 2010 [2 favorites]