iPhone aviation applications, what do you recommend & use? [Archive]

Molesworth 1

11th Apr 2009, 20:08

AeroWeather is the one I use a lot. It shows your selected METARS and TAFS fully decoded and readable - much quicker than logging on to the Met Office site, having to do a lot of finger work. It also shows whether the METAR is VFR, MVFR, IFR or whatever.

Be warned though - sync your iphone at the wrong time and you can loose all your apps. You can download them again if you remember the names (or look up your purchase history) but any data stored is lost forever. Sometimes you even have to pay again, other times the apps are no longer available.

I have PilotWhizz which would come in handy if I was not able to use my PC to plan my flights.

Shiver me timbers!

11th Apr 2009, 20:17

SullysFlight is a good one for keeping current on bird strike / engine failure procedures.

Also - Flight Control is pretty addictive. From playing that, I can't see what all the fuss is about re: ATC and stress :rolleyes:

:ok:

007helicopter

12th Apr 2009, 06:58

Another thread running here

http://www.pprune.org/military-aircrew/369606-iphone-aviation-applications.html

Is it still just on one network, I think O2?

Are there plans to open to other network providers?

Shunter

12th Apr 2009, 08:08

You can already have an iPhone on other networks if you so really want to....

http://img9.imageshack.us/img9/5512/iphoneygi.jpg (http://img9.imageshack.us/my.php?image=iphoneygi.jpg)

Cows getting bigger

12th Apr 2009, 08:36

Shunter, you need to check your emails. ;)

Pudnucker

13th Apr 2009, 21:39

StillStanding

14th Apr 2009, 08:24

The iPod Touch can run all the applications and connects through wifi, which can be picked up at quite a few airfields. I use:

AeroWeather - excellent as already mentioned
Pilot Wizz - good for weight & balance etc. only need a connection for weather.
GeeMeter - measured + and -ve G, just out of curiosity.

Without the phone connection, I also use WiFinder to find the free open networks.

All the above are free apps.

PilotPieces

14th Apr 2009, 09:06

Papa Charlie

14th Apr 2009, 09:18

Shunter, how do you get 5 icons along the bottom line? :confused:

Planemike

14th Apr 2009, 09:51

Please can some one explain to me what an iPhone is? While they are at it what is an iPod?

Thks Planemike...........

PilotPieces

14th Apr 2009, 10:07

Planemike, im not sure whether you are being serious or not but having seen that you are 44 years older than me I can understand you not knowing about the i-everything revolution.

Originally it started out with the ipod. This is a portable music device in which you can copy music to in the form of mp3 (eg copy a cd onto the computer... or "record" ;))

Then they sold loads of these things, took over the market, kept bringing out new models and one day decided to put a phone in one. Its one of the new generation "smart phones" in which you can connect to the internet, send emails and get all of these applications as well as games and music etc.

It is extremly over priced and actually one of the worst "smart phones" around, however, they are very well known compared to the other brands, hence why just about everyone has one.

Zulu Alpha

14th Apr 2009, 11:37

The iPod is what you get when the Obamas come and visit you... except that in this case it was a WePod!

ZA

Planemike

14th Apr 2009, 12:08

Hi Pilot Pieces..........

I am absolutely serious. You are right my age may have something to do with it !!!

I have little interest in much of this technology which just seems to be technology for its own sake. My other problem is that much of it is anything but user friendly and it is just too much trouble to bother learning how to use it.

I love things that just have an ON - OFF switch..........simple!!!

Planemike

PilotPieces

14th Apr 2009, 12:11

Like a Cessna 152 then?

dublinpilot

14th Apr 2009, 12:37

Are all these applications only available from apple? I am looking at getting the HTC Touch phone with microsoft 6.1 but would perhaps be interested in some of these apps. Or are there others out there for non ieverything users?

There are far more applications available for Microsoft Mobile 6.1 and WinCE than there is for iphone ;)

dp

vanHorck

14th Apr 2009, 14:54

But having started on Windows 3.1 and transited to 3.11, 95, xp and then Vista, I'm soooo glad I moved on to a Mac operating system (2 days and you never look back) than I d never go back to MS.

The Iphone means a lot of added creature comforts in a very user friendly package.

a MEP and MAC loving poster

Shunter

14th Apr 2009, 17:29

Shunter, how do you get 5 icons along the bottom line?It requires a jailbroken phone. Jailbreaking (if you don't know what it is) essentially circumvents the Apple security which constrains you to running things that they approve of. There are many advantages, and absolutely zero disadvantages to doing it. It can be done with free software written by an outrageously talented bunch of embedded device engineers called the iPhone Dev Team. Once you're done with the over-the-top "you'll get what you're given, now stop moaning" protection, you're free to install non-approved 3rd-party applications. That one's called 5-icon-dock and does what it says on the tin. There are plenty of other useful ones which Apple decided not to allow on the app store; cut n paste, MMS, video recorder, backgrounder (to allow you to keep apps running - damn useful for many things). That said, the next version of iPhone software coming in a couple of months is pretty much a "kitchen sink" edition as far as features go; almost everything people have ever moaned about not being available is coming.... except backgrounding.

There are far more applications available for Microsoft Mobile 6.1 and WinCE than there is for iphoneAnd your reference is......

The iTunes app store has fundamentally changed how people acquire applications. There were about 20,000 of them last time I checked, for almost every possible use.

I've had 2 Windoze Mobile phones in the past. I will NEVER EVER EVER have one again. Windows Mobile is ****e.

dublinpilot

14th Apr 2009, 18:06

And your reference is......

The iTunes app store has fundamentally changed how people acquire applications. There were about 20,000 of them last time I checked, for almost every possible use.

Nothing but my own experience.

How many aviation moving map applications can you name for the iphone? There are plenty for windows devices.

There is a huge range of software available for windows mobile devices. Perhaps partly because it has been around for a lot longer.

IO540

14th Apr 2009, 19:58

Is there anything for a Nokia E51? I think it runs Symbian... hasn't arrived yet though.

I've had a number of Pocket/PC (windoze mobile) PDAs and there is a vast range of software around for these. On a decent PDA, it runs OK. The drawback is always the battery life... never more than a few hours.

As regards phones (I mean phones which actually fit into what I'd call a pocket :) ) running Pocket/PC, it doesn't seem to work well. I have a Thuraya SG-2520 satellite phone which runs this and it is absolute crap. Very very slow just to move through the menus. What is the CPU doing?? Working out all the prime numbers from 3 to the phone's IMEI? Got to be careful though, as Thuraya monitor forums for unfavourable comments and they email you - no kidding!

Shunter

14th Apr 2009, 20:41

How many aviation moving map applicationsOh do me a favour. The only vaguely useful one for Windoze is Memory Map whose only redeeming feature is its proprietory map format for which CAA VFR charts are available. Whilst it's novel to see your paper chart on a PDA, almost every alternative is better (even those piddly little Garmins I have such disdain for).

For what it's worth, Memory Map will work on an iPhone if you're determined enough. It requires substantial knowledge of Arm architecture, the compiling of wine and qemu source, some dependency tinkering and relevant mapping of the GPS serial device. At the end of the day it's a Unix box and it'll do anything you want given the right knowledge, sufficient motivation and a large pinch of salt to accompany various EULAs.

Floppy Link

14th Apr 2009, 20:54

Like a Cessna 152 then?

...do not confuse with the Cessna i52

dublinpilot

14th Apr 2009, 21:04

I answered a simple question
Or are there others out there for non ieverything users?

There are plenty. And whatever your opinion of moving map aviation system there are certainly lots available for windows mobile systems and none for the iphone.

The question asker will have no problem finding software for windows.

PilotPieces

15th Apr 2009, 08:37

Yes, thank you Dublinpilot. I originally looked into getting the iphone but after pages and pages of reviews I started looking into other phones and found some right gems.

I just ordered an HTC Touch HD, perhaps the most similar phone to the current iphone, but with a list of advantages over the iphone (camera, screen res etc etc) and for nearly a third of the price!

A lot of the success of the iphone has come from the huge advertising campaign. It got me to, I was ready to buy one until I browsed through some reviews and started finding other phones that were just better.

I dont hate the iphone...but telling me that it has a lightsaber application so you can wave your phone around in the pub and zap people, isnt a selling point for me.

PompeyPaul

15th Apr 2009, 11:57

There are many advantages, and absolutely zero disadvantages to doing it
Apart from the fact that Apple don't really want you to do it, and if they lock jailbroken phones in the future you've bricked your phone. It would seem like a likely thing Apple would want to do.

vanHorck

15th Apr 2009, 12:45

uuuuuhhhhhhh

Mac bashing now, eh?

An unlocked iphone will remain unlocked for as long as you do not upgrade to the next version of the OS

People with an unlocked phone know they will have to wait a little longer before they can upgrade to the next OS version, and only do so if the new gadgets have value to them.

Each to their own. A little respect for owners of both MS and Mac OS, and no untrue rumors please.....

PompeyPaul

15th Apr 2009, 17:35

I've got a Mac Book Air myself, as well as an iPhone and have written a few apps. I like Macs, they've done a good job of making a unix box not look like unix. I mostly run linux at home but have a couple of WinXP\Vista Vm's about the place too. I pretty much run everything that's available out there.

I just thought the "no downside" to jailbreaking your phone was bit untrue. There again, anybody who wants and knows how, to jailbreak their phone probably knows what they are getting into.

mark147

15th Apr 2009, 19:49

Played with friends iphone yesterday with the artificial horizon app.. Vibration overwhelmed the sensors in the iphone - his comment of "this may save my ass" was quickly retracted! Basically a 60 degree turn was unregistered....

I saw a few 'artificial horizon' apps in the app store. I'm sure some people think they will actually work. However, the iPhone doesn't have the sensors in it to implement an AI. It could do a G meter, it could do a balance ball and it could do a moving map GPS. But there's no way at all it could ever replicate an AI. Sure, you could make something that looks like an AI and appears to work on the ground but it would be of no use whatsoever in the air (and not because of the vibration).

M.

Mike Parsons

15th Apr 2009, 21:19

LogTen Student Edition

Foreflight Checklist - awesome!

jonkil

15th Apr 2009, 21:44

I got a new phone, has an extremely useful feature that all phones should have.... you can make and receive calls from it..... NUFF SAID.

India Four Two

16th Apr 2009, 01:29

It could do a G meterLike this very nice free one:
GeeMeter (http://www.iwizwheel.com/Site/GeeMeter.html)

Edit to add that I've just noticed that the picture was captured with the iPhone flat - the G reading is zero. In the vertical mode, it reads +1.

vanHorck

16th Apr 2009, 16:57

Good thread on the iphone apps running here:
http://www.pprune.org/military-aircrew/369606-iphone-aviation-applications.html

InDarknessConcealed

16th Apr 2009, 19:26

Where would one start (assuming they have a mac) to learn how to write apps for the iPhone?http://static.pprune.org/images/smilies/confused.gif

Ultranomad

16th Apr 2009, 20:12

InDarknessConcealed, here (http://developer.apple.com/).

Shunter

16th Apr 2009, 20:23

if they lock jailbroken phones in the future you've bricked your phoneYou're confusing unlocking with jailbreaking. iPhones have 2 processors and 2 operating systems. 1 runs the front end stuff, the other runs the cellular comms. The 2 talk to each other.

Jailbreaking is the circumvention of the security which prevents unauthorised access to the front-end root filesystem. This is the system which runs all the visible applications, your music, etc... The exploit for the iPhone 3G jailbreak exists in HARDWARE. This means that Apple can NEVER block the jailbreak unless they modify the hardware of the phone. This may (or may not) happen when the new iPhone models are released in the summer. iPhone 3Gs will ALWAYS be jailbreakable. The front-end OS is Mac OS X compiled to run on an Arm processor.

The OS running the cellular comms is NucleusOS, a real-time system which runs on a separate processor to the front-end OS. The 2 operating systems talk to each other in order to make calls, send SMS etc. In order to unlock an iPhone using software alone, you need an exploitable buffer-overflow vulnerability in the Nucleus firmware, which can be executed interactively via an application running at the front-end. The guys who wrote the current 3G software unlock (aka yellowsn0w) managed to exploit vulnerabilities in several versions of Nucleus firmware, but only released software for v2.28 (released Nov 2008). The nature of the exploit is highly complex; instead of some schoolboy hexedit, they actually change the logic of the OS as it passes through RAM. Nucleus asks the sim card if it's from a valid network provider, and yellowsn0w forces the answer to be yes.

There is no way Jailbreaking or soft-unlocking an iPhone 3G can brick your phone. Loading up iTunes and selecting "Restore" will return your phone to factory settings, with all evidence of previous adventures completely erased.

The only defence Apple have against such exploits is the fact that the Nucleus firmware cannot(*) be downgraded. Every new release is digitally signed, and the phone will refuse to accept a new baseband firmware revision if it's been tampered with or has a lower version number. Of course, with a suitable exploit you can downgrade and circumvent the certificate check, but if you've got an exploit you wouldn't bother because you've already unlocked your phone. There are also (rare) iPhone 3Gs which have an exploitable bootloader (which isn't updated when new firmware is applied) which can be manipulated to downgrade baseband firmware.

I trust this post has been educational, but I'm getting rather bored of writing it now. The point still stands: there are many advantages and no disadvantages to jailbreaking your iPhone.

vanHorck

16th Apr 2009, 20:48

Well said Shunter!

I am a user and not a mobile hacker, but I've used an unlocked Iphone from the USA from almost day one (2G) on the Dutch Vodafone network.

I use the email with multiple email boxes for receiving and sending internationally, I just love the SMS (communications to and fro per contact), phone and many ipod as well as many downloadable apps.

In all this time I've never had a single problem, other than having to perhaps restart it once per month or two when I get the feeling it s slowing down a bit.

Ultranomad

16th Apr 2009, 20:53

Shunter, with your good knowledge of iPhone, you might know the answer to this one: as far as I know, Apple intentionally tried to disable the possibility to make SIP calls over GPRS/EDGE. What exactly is blocked, and could one expect it to be circumvented in the near future? To me, this is the most important reason not to buy an iPhone, unless someone can prove me wrong.

BTW, speaking of moving map applications for Windows Mobile, there is PocketFMS (http://www.pocketfms.com/), which might in fact give Jeppesen a run for its money.

IO540

16th Apr 2009, 20:59

Good post Shunter :ok:

I still cannot believe people are having to use buffer overflow (probably stack overflow) exploits to SP-unlock an Iphone. Having to go to such a length is disgusting. I would not touch an SP-locked phone with a 20ft bargepole. As a phone, the Iphone does little or nothing that other fancy phones cannot do. As a fashion accessory, well that's different...

PompeyPaul

16th Apr 2009, 21:23

This means that Apple can NEVER block the jailbreak unless they modify the hardware of the phoneSimply not true. Perform an unrestricted write to the phone, if it succeeds it's jail breaked, if it doesn't, it's not. I've detected whether your phone is broke or not. I then block the firmware upgrade. You're not stuck with all apps pre-blocking firmware.

Making out it's completely safe and you are garaunteed not to brick your phone is simply not true. Never say never.

I trust this post has been educational, but I'm getting rather bored of writing it now. The point still stands: there are many advantages and no disadvantages to jailbreaking your iPhone.
Ill informed maybe, but educational no.

India Four Two

17th Apr 2009, 03:50

Where would one start (assuming they have a mac) to learn how to write apps for the iPhone?

Besides Apple's official resources, this would also be a good place to start:

iPhone - O'Reilly Media (http://oreilly.com/iphone/)

See the books by Jonathan Zdziarski (http://oreillynet.com/pub/au/1861)

Shunter

17th Apr 2009, 08:15

PompeyPaul, I'm afraid you're incorrect - or confusing the 3G with the original iPhone. Since no permanent modifications are made to the phone it can always be restored using unmodified Apple firmware. This was not true on the original iPhone, for which unlock exploits actually modified the bootloader itself. iPhones have something called DFU mode, which essentially means that when you connect it to a computer it says to iTunes "Dude, I'm utterly hosed. Fix me". In such circumstances iTunes doesn't even bother checking what's on the phone, it blows it away and puts whatever firmware you choose onto the phone (you know you can alt-click on the restore button in iTunes and it will let you choose any firmware file you want, right? You don't have to use Apple's latest and greatest). If you've managed to really really really bugger your phone (which is spectacularly difficult) there's still a way out, but it involves some intricate disassembly and a suitable PIC programmer.

I was playing around with keyboard layouts the other day and for some unknown reason I got to a point where whenever I opened an app requiring the keyboard (Mail, Safari etc) the app would crash; a known bug. This was remedied by opening an SSH session with the phone and manually fixing the keyboard maps. If my phone wasn't jailbroken I would have had to restore it and spend all day getting everything back where I wanted it.

As far as SIP calls go, there's nothing in the iPhone which specifically prevents them. There is however plenty in the iTunes App Store policy which does; mainly under pressure from network providers. Jailbreaking allows you to run any app, whether Apple approve of it or not. Whether there exists an app to make such calls I don't know - not something I have a need for as work pay the bill for my iPhone :ok:

You *can* get officially unlocked iPhones, just not in the UK. In countries which have laws to combat monopolistic practices they are available in stores. In France you can get an unlocked iPhone from Orange, and in Hong Kong you can buy them in the Apple store. In the UK it's the operator's choice whether they offer such an option; o2 can unlock iPhones if they want to, they just choose otherwise.

When an operator unlocks an iPhone, the IMEI is placed in a database maintain by Apple. This database is checked by iTunes every time your iPhone is synced. At that point, if the IMEI is in the database, an RSA token is downloaded to an area known as the seczone. This is also where the IMEI is stored. If the key matches the IMEI (and some other stuff), the phone unlocks. Job done. This area of flash is outside that used by both the onboard operating systems so is not modified during subsequent firmware upgrades.

moan

17th Apr 2009, 14:36

AeroWeather is invaluable; PilotWiz and FlightPlan may be usefull, but CoPilot makes a perfect companion to AeroWeather.
It performs most tasks that the excellent Nav Box can (my usual flight planner) and some others Nav Box can’t.
Programming is quick and easy (once mastered that is, initially it’s not altogether intuitive) with an internet connection not needed. Rearranging destinations, waypoints wind, height etc. takes seconds only as does feeding in pre entered alternates – or for that matter, new waypoints.
Routes may be stored (but alas, not downloaded to GPS – but then, some might argue that this should be separate as a cross check.................
The database is comprehensive – airfields, VOR, NDB and a user waypoint database.
Minus points: No map – so user waypoints must be entered manually and my only real gripe, no VRP’s
Weight and balance and E6B calculators are provided.
With an internet connection, a CDI/DME is available, subject to the iphone’s GPS not having one of its periodic electric sulks
The main benefit (well to me anyway) is the ability to plan anywhere, anytime (“I’m on the train”) and to be able to amend quickly, if needed before, or even, during flight.
The help files are reasonable, but I had a poor response to an email question.
All very subjective of course, but it will only cost the price of a few minutes flying to check.

youngskywalker

17th Apr 2009, 15:35

Do all these applications also work for the i-touch? If so I might buy one when I'm in the States. The price of the i-phone with 'o2' puts me off, a 24 month contract will add up to about £800!

PilotPieces

17th Apr 2009, 20:03

So what is the windows mobile alternative to aeroweather and copilot then?

vanHorck

26th Apr 2009, 15:26

new iphone apps which could be useful for pilots

Windspeed meter
goingApps (http://goingapps.com/default.aspx)

YouTube - iPhone Wind Meter - $0.99 Anemometer (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=44YYcp3aMhU)

Crash one

26th Apr 2009, 16:07

I have little interest in much of this technology which just seems to be technology for its own sake. My other problem is that much of it is anything but user friendly and it is just too much trouble to bother learning how to use it.

I thought flying was about looking out the window & stuff.
What is the point of all this? what are "Apps"? why would you need to listen to millions of tunes/records or whatever they are called now? or play games whilst flying?
I have a mobile phone, I think it can take pictures as well, but I have a camera for that.
Must be an age thing, I really don't get it.
One day when the wizz kids come up with a hand held radar set that bleeps in my headset & gives me a readout on a chunk of aluminium whether or not the "target" has Mode A,C or S, then I'll buy one.

Molesworth 1

26th Apr 2009, 17:50

Good point, Crash One.

I have yet to find an iPhone app which is useful in the cockpit (apart from the GPS if I am really really lost). Aeroweather is useful for reading METARS and TAFS quickly and PilotWhizz for pre-flight planning if I can't use my computer.

RAAus_Pilot

10th Jun 2009, 01:53

Since Shagpile is doing a NAIPS app which will get widely used amongst the Australian iPhone users fraternity, I was wondering what relevant app's other iPhone users have and recommend.

I regularly use Pkt Weather as it has the BOM radars and you can set what locations you want, FlightPlan & iE6B.

So what have you got?

Jofm5

10th Jun 2009, 02:28

Not sure if your only asking about aviation apps but....

Been playing about today with V-Cockpit GPS (http://www.xewton.com/apps/vcockpit/gps/)

It not something to be used as instrumentation in a light aircraft, but it is fun to play with - I have yet to take it out in the car to compare the speed my iphone reckons compared to my speedo - I dont fly (yet) so cant compare altitude etc with real life.

On the non aviation side, I use the telegraph and sky apps for news (both free) and bloomburg for stocks. I have a few other apps installed which are uk specific (e.g. tv guide) and I use accelgolf for my score cards.

RAAus_Pilot

10th Jun 2009, 02:42

Yeah more along the lines of aviation apps, that V-Cockpit is more of a game isn't it? I can't see how it could be used in an aircraft due to the forces the accelerometer requires.

Very interesting though.

I've also got PilotWizPro which is pretty good as well.

Jofm5

10th Jun 2009, 03:21

Yeah more along the lines of aviation apps, that V-Cockpit is more of a game isn't it?

I am not so sure I would call it a game as there is no objective other than to show off the functionality of the iphone - I am not sure on accuracy as have nothing to compare to but it is most definately not meant for use in aviation as all the documentation says and quite correctly it asks you to confirm that you understand this before running it.

Will have a look at the one you suggested as would be interesting to get some useful things when I do eventually do my ppl. I looked at a couple of weather apps and the pilots toolbox but did not seem to greate/intuitive (at least for me).

call100

10th Jun 2009, 19:30

Aero Weather....Shows METAR and TAF of most airports....

greenhorn1

28th Jun 2009, 09:14

This is my first Iphone and I'm dead impressed :ok:

At then moment I've got the Airport app. which is quite good for Tafs, metars etc. , but there are so many I was wondering what hardened Iphone commercial pilot users would recommend.

Aerouk

28th Jun 2009, 17:19

I'm not a commercial pilot, but I'm using:

- SafelogWeb (SafelogWeb (http://www.safelogweb.com)) for my logbook
- AviationABB (Aviation Abbreviations, not sure why I got it to be honest)
- LiveATC (again, not sure why I got it)
- AirportMania (just to keep my entertained :})

AppleMacster

28th Jun 2009, 22:16

Aerouk,

Here are some gems:

Aeroweather (http://itunes.apple.com/WebObjects/MZStore.woa/wa/viewSoftware?id=288286079&mt=8)
Jet Fueling (http://itunes.apple.com/WebObjects/MZStore.woa/wa/viewSoftware?id=289440313&mt=8)
If you are a Mac user, this is a great companion app to LogTen Pro (http://coradine.com/logten-pro/): LogTen Mobile (http://itunes.apple.com/WebObjects/MZStore.woa/wa/viewSoftware?id=286222898&mt=8)
For the occasional conversion and calculation: Pilot Wizz (http://itunes.apple.com/WebObjects/MZStore.woa/wa/viewSoftware?id=289250683&mt=8)

Applemacster.

BRL

6th Aug 2009, 13:52

So what is the best phone chaps, the N97 or the iPhone?????

liam548

6th Aug 2009, 14:04

So what is the best phone chaps, the N97 or the iPhone?????

can of worms there :)

I much prefer the Nseries devices. They can do everything and more the iphone can do imo.

PompeyPaul

6th Aug 2009, 17:10

As a developer I want my software on the largest platform so I publish everything on iPhone. As the maxim usually goes, software sells hardware so if you want the richest software collection go iPhone.

Aerouk

6th Aug 2009, 18:24

Having had the Nokia N97 I must says it's probably one of the worst phones I have ever used. The software is sluggish, unfriendly and plain old crap! They talk about it being competition to the iPhone, my ass!

If you're wanting a good phone, stick to the Blackberry/HTC/iPhone/Palm Pre, Nokia have lost it.

call100

6th Aug 2009, 20:02

Not the Old my phone is better than your phone argument??????
Do your research and get a phone that does what you want it to. If you get one you are going to moan about it's because you didn't do enough research and you have no one else to blame.
Once you have it, stop knocking other phones that others have because they do what they want them to.
Peace Brothers....:ok:

Aerouk

7th Aug 2009, 00:42

crewmeal

7th Aug 2009, 07:54

aerouk

I was lucky enough to get my hands on an unlocked Nokia N97

Was stuffed full of operators software? I've tested an Arabic version of the N97 and it's brilliant. Software is quick, youtube is good (depending on wifi speed) I'm about to purchase one for around £320 at todays rate of exchange

call100

7th Aug 2009, 10:07

Call100,

Not at all.

I currently work within the industry (sadly!) and get to play around with loads of phones every month. I was lucky enough to get my hands on an unlocked Nokia N97 to see what it was like but I was so disappointed with it!

Just went back to using my 3GS.
Sorry, my post wasn't aimed at you. Just the argument in general. I've tried a few phones that are not that bad and can do some things my IPhone can't. After several trials I keep coming back to my IPhone. The only thing I would like it to do that it currently doesn't is Flash, Though there are rumours that Adobe are working on it...That said, Its a wish not a need....
I still hold by the argument that research should be done and whatever phone does it for you is the best phone for you. Once you have it, it seems pointless running down others.
But hey we seem to have gone off thread on this one......

Apps for IPhone
Aeroguide
AeroWeather
FlightCode
Airport Mania
Shozu
Evernote
ICarRadio
CalenGoo

I think that may have redeemed the thread!!:)

RAAus_Pilot

7th Aug 2009, 11:05

NAIPS
CoPilot
FlightPlan
PilotWizPro
MotionX GPS
Currency

All used frequently!

Jofm5

7th Aug 2009, 11:07

Though there are rumours that Adobe are working on it...That said, Its a wish not a need....

Was chatting to a friend of mine who is a flash developer and has close contact with adobe. According to his sources Apple want quite a large licence agreement from Adobe for flash - the reason being is that it is a direct competitor to Apple Quicktime.

A good weather app (and seems more accurate than most in my experience) is Meteo Weather Pro. What is nice is if you can graph the expected precipitation by hour over the next few days - I use this to time booking my lessons and have been quite successful.

The above is the pay app tho I believe there is a lite version for free.

Shunter

7th Aug 2009, 13:22

Adobe have had a working flash player available internally for the iPhone for a long time. The problem with Flash is that it executes arbitrary third-party code. That's the sticking point as Apple are control-freaks who want the ability to vet all executable code which finds its way either directly or indirectly onto iPhones; something obviously impossible with Flash, just as with Java.

Aerouk

7th Aug 2009, 21:30

Crewmeal,

We were given them directly from Nokia to test them out before they were released. I mean Vodafone were selling them for £150 one off fee plus a £40 contract over 18/24months

Why would I pay that when I can get the other phones which are all a hell of a lot better? I just think Nokia are way out of their depths these days.

AppleMacster

11th Aug 2009, 13:01

Even The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) is interested (!):

Five Apps For Aviators (http://www.tuaw.com/2009/08/11/five-apps-for-pilots/)

Applemacster

greenhorn1

27th Aug 2009, 08:46

Anybody found a half decent FTL app for the Iphone yet ?

iflytb20

28th Aug 2009, 09:34

I use the following apps:

iE6B - Just in case ;)
Jet Fueling - To covert Kilos of fuel into Liters
FlightCrewiLog - To keep track of my flights, hours and duty times.
AeroWeather - For Wx
xeCurrency - For the latest exchange rates.
Flight Control - To kill time in cruise:E

The Blimp

22nd Sep 2009, 05:35

Here's a good insight into how one aviation company uses their iphones:

Apple - iPhone in Business - Profiles - Airship Ventures (http://www.apple.com/iphone/business/profiles/airventures/?sr=hotnews.rss)

dv8

20th Oct 2009, 14:22

Can anyone recomend an app to be able to read pprune on the iPhone?

call100

20th Oct 2009, 15:53

Safari......Get it on the internet as you do on your home PC.....:}

dv8

20th Oct 2009, 18:04

Err.... thanks call 100 :rolleyes:

I believe is an app dedicated to browsing forums So that you don't have to zoom in and out

call100

21st Oct 2009, 10:24

Sorry, didn't mean it to sound as it did..:O
You are perfectly correct, there is an App for forums....I've not tried it I just use Safari and don't have enough problems to justify the spend, It costs £2.99 I think...
Check this out....
Forums for iPhone (http://forumsapp.com/)

I suggest you read the reviews in iTunes before downloading it..

Hope it's what you wanted..:ok:

WeLieInTheShadows

24th Oct 2009, 10:44

Sorry if this is a little off thread but I broke my 3G iPhone screen recently.

Absolutley gutted. Apple wanted £120 for the honour of fixing it!

After a little research I found this item on ebay.

3G Apple iPhone screen DIY repair new GLASS / DIGITIZER on eBay (end time 31-Oct-09 10:25:03 GMT) (http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&rd=1&item=180423806959&ssPageName=STRK:MESE:IT)

Came the next day with all tools, instructions, and adhesive to do the job, and I had it good as new in an hour.

The guy was SO helpful when I emailed him asking questions as I didn't want to put just anything in my iPhone.

I was a little dubious about it being a genuine part as stated, but sure enough when it arrived it had APPLE on the connectors unlike some of the others I'd seen on the net.

Bit off thread I know, but though iPhone users would want to know about this as it saves you a fortune if your clumsy and a bit of a tight wad like me.

As for Apps - WUNDER RADIO is awesome although bit expensive. It's more reliable than the free radio apps I've found, and you can get pretty much any station including the BBC ones!

Also big fan of....

EBAY
CALENGOO
THE TRAIN LINE - just been released and free!

All the best

WLITS

Supermattt

5th Nov 2009, 19:26

Hello,

I've been using free version of Pilot Wizz but thought I'd ask if anyone has any views on this or other pilot related apps, good bad, interesting?

Cheers
Matt

Nashers

5th Nov 2009, 19:41

areo weather- gives you all the TAFS for all the airports you set. very good.

FlightCom UK- quic kreferance list of radio frequencies. however said to have a few mistakes.

xWind- quick cross wind calculations

myConcert- good for many things other that flying but i use it for distance calculations as well as speed.

AirTycoon- nothing to do with helping you fly yourself but fantastic game to play and great fun for many hours. infact its the ONLY app i have payed for so far on my phone. everything else including the ones above are free.

Ryan5252

5th Nov 2009, 20:18

I use the freeware Pilot Wizz and also aeroweather. I have no complaints with the free PW though my usage is largely limited at present anyway (student PPL) but so far so good! :ok:

Jools508

5th Nov 2009, 20:38

I've been using PilotWizz Pro for the past month and love it, the best feature is the weight and balance section which when set up for your aircraft is really quick and easy to use. Well worth the money.

I also use LogTen as a backup for my logbook.

Hope this helps,

Jools

dv8

22nd Nov 2009, 18:29

Good Reader
Its a great app for loading large PDF files like company manuals, AOM or AFM etc.The best bit is you can search text. You will also have to load on to your computer Iphone Explorer to be able to drag files and drop on to Iphone

Greek God

25th Nov 2009, 14:54

Anyone got any tips for downloading from the US Itunes site - It seems as usual UK runs a "lite" vesion of what's available?

call100

12th Jan 2010, 10:13

Thought this might help pass the time for those stuck with delays. Just imagining a room full of pilots all with this App..:}:)
YouTube - Pilot for the iphone. (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k0Ep0FW4sVQ)

Link to iTunes on the right of the page.......Tally Ho!!

BladePilot

15th Jan 2010, 06:42

Was a confirmed Nokia user until I was unable to resist the temptation to buy an officially unlocked 32GB 3GS in Abu Dhabi at Christmas, wow! everyday this amazing piece of kit amazes me :ok:

crewmeal

15th Jan 2010, 06:55

How much? Guess you wern't governed by the static UK prices

BladePilot

16th Jan 2010, 11:10

Mmm, you don't want to know! it was in the Hundreds of Euros and like BIG hundreds! :eek: but if ya can't take the dosh with you then spend spend spend!

Vone Rotate

28th Jan 2010, 17:03

Thought I would start a thread on apps for the i phone that come in useful for flying.

So far I use:

Pilot Wizz - Does loads but weight and balance & weather particularly well

Weatheronline.co.uk - Gives you a weather radar with 2 min delay

Flight com uk - A simple list of uk airfields and frequencies

Sunrise Free - A simple sunrise/ sunset time app

Thats all from me......:ok:

Cows getting bigger

28th Jan 2010, 17:19

Aeroweather

Weather Pro

LogTen Pro

XV255

31st Jan 2010, 16:31

Memory Map!

Memory-Map : iPhone App (http://www.memory-map.co.uk/iphone/)

Well, soon...;)

ahendry

2nd Feb 2010, 14:23

Hi Guys,

Just to let you all know that Flightnav is now available as an IPhone web app. This means that you can get to all the airfield information plates for the UK, Ireland and France directly on your mobile.

There are several features currently available including:
Airfields near me,
Airfields by Region,
Airfields by Country,
etc.....

You can find out how to connect using the link below
Flightnav now on IPhone (http://www.flightnav.co.uk/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=85:flightnav-now-on-iphone&catid=34:website-news&Itemid=18)

As always the best part is it's free!!!!

Cheers
Alasdair

Greek God

5th Mar 2010, 15:08

Anyone know of a Fight Time Limitations app at all?
Searched to no avail but I would'nt have thought it too difficult.:8

Ben178v

5th Mar 2010, 15:22

EU OPS by Alexander Flohr is pretty decent

Dream Land

5th Mar 2010, 16:00

Anyone know of a Fight Time Limitations app at all?
Searched to no avail but I would'nt have thought it too difficultTry LogTen.

misterblue

11th Mar 2010, 13:04

I have seen an app on iphones which lets you search for, then show on a map, the whereabouts of individual aircraft in real time.

Any suggestions for the app? The reviews on the appstore are uniformly bad, yet I have seen a very good app and don't want to end up with a turkey.

Thanks

MB

Curious Pax

11th Mar 2010, 14:38

Sounds a bit like planefinder. Not bad, although you can only see what its basestations are sending at any moment in time. Handy if you know what you are looking for, and want to check its rough whereabouts.

Man Flex 37.5

13th Mar 2010, 20:15

Pilots Pal is available on the iPhone, it syncs with both Macs and Windows, also includes weather and runway decodes.

ragbak

6th Apr 2010, 13:50

I mostly use AeroWeather for checking TAFs and METARs, doesn't need much introduction as I think it's the most common app amongst pilots.

Haven't seen many people using fuel calculators yet. I've tried a couple and now use Fuel Uplift Calculator since I find it has the easiest interface. If you fill out the tech log (for myself on a 320), just read all results of the screen. This app checks if the uplift is within limits as well (you can set the limit yourself).

For the longer night flights I sometimes use Distant Suns to figure out which planet/constellation I'm looking at.

call100

6th Apr 2010, 16:20

If you are interested in the stars then 'Star Walk' is absolutely amazing....Not free but worth the money. (Even better on a 3Gs apparently)....

Captain-Random

15th Apr 2010, 16:29

www.gpslogbooks.com (http://www.gpslogbooks.com). Good for tracking your own flights

EDDNHopper

18th Apr 2010, 20:57

ragbak and call100,

thanks a lot, I downloaded both apps and must say both are phantastic in their on right. Distant Suns is free and very well done, Star Walk makes use of all the iPhone's locating and motion capabilities (3GS) and, for currently €2.39, is a real gem. :ok:

greenhorn1

22nd Apr 2010, 10:29

FLT Calculator CAA CAP 371 UK: just out and quite good

Time Calculator : For adding up those logbook hours
AeroWeather : Excellent
Airports

WeatherPro : absolutely brilliant (non aviation) wx app.

Plane Finder: thought it would be rubbish, but it's actually quite good.

pilotmall

16th Sep 2010, 21:55

What are your favorite aviation apps on these devices?

I really like ForeFlight and use it often.

Neil

call100

17th Sep 2010, 07:53

I think they are all listed in this thread in one way or another.
Just do a slow read through and you will get them all....:ok:

lamanated

14th Oct 2010, 15:02

http://itunes.apple.com/ca/app/topographic-maps-canada/id392857820?mt=8
free topo map for Canada

matthewgamm

11th Dec 2010, 11:08

What, in your opinion, make for some of the best FREE apps for the new 4?

Are there any FREE apps out there, that us pilots would find useful?

RJM

11th Dec 2010, 11:23

Here's a good one: Notified (http://notifiedapp.com)

Nothing aeronautical about it, though.

hellsbrink

11th Dec 2010, 11:34

HAve a look in the computer part of PPRUNE, there's various threads about the iPhone and apps and maybe you'll get a better answer there than in JB (where you're leaving yourself open to things, believe me!!)

Here's what the mighty forum search threw up at me, enjoy

http://www.pprune.org/search.php?searchid=7151943

Green Flash

2nd Jan 2011, 12:07

A cold grey Sunday afternoon so time to play with my Xmas pressy.

The little Flashes have bought their dinosaur an iPhone. What is the best/worst/whatever iPhone app of an aviation nature???

InTgreen

2nd Jan 2011, 12:20

Games wise, Skies of Glory is cracking.. As for Apps, my E6B is quite good!

Tourist

2nd Jan 2011, 12:46

aeroweather

ZH875

2nd Jan 2011, 12:53

Maybe the iPhone will have a working Alarm Clock, but only from 3 January (http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-12104890).

ORAC

2nd Jan 2011, 13:07

Not aviation, but I'd recommend the following.

Appbox
BatteryDoctor
Camscanner+
Dragon Dictation
Dropbox
Kindle for iPhone
Flight Status
Informant
Shazam
Skype (for calls when abroad)
Sky+ (if you have Sky it lets you set up recordings at home on the fly)
Spotify
Stanza
TrainTimes
Weatherpro (in addition to Aeroweather)
WunderRadio

Roland Pulfrew

2nd Jan 2011, 13:34

Depending on how much travel and who you fly with then, KLM; BA and the OneWorld alliance all have useful apps for airline travel.
WorldMate is good if you do travel lots and need hotels etc as well a flights.
AeroWeather is a great app. Hurricane, PilotWiz and Measures are all pretty useful, as is the Met Office App. Snowtam is also pretty useful.
World Time is a handy app if you have to call/travel round the world lots.
iHud and Flight Control are good for a bit of fun.:cool:

TurningFinals

2nd Jan 2011, 14:14

FlightcomUK and aeroweather are both good.

Angry birds and Cut The Rope for games.

betty swallox

2nd Jan 2011, 15:04

Ach. Come on! The best, by far......Cows in Space!!!

zondaracer

2nd Jan 2011, 16:03

X-Plane-4G
Shazam is ok, was better before it became a pay app
Viber - free Voip calls, free app
Kayak, free and for finding plane tickets and hotels
Google app is cool for the photo search function

Cows getting bigger

2nd Jan 2011, 16:09

LogTen Pro
Aeroweather
Weather Pro
Copilot
Foreflight (only if you fly in USA)
Doodle Jump

FerrypilotDK

2nd Jan 2011, 16:51

Maybe the iPhone will have a working Alarm Clock, but only from 3 January (http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-12104890).

Now what does THAT mean? I have been using my iPhone as my only alarm since I got it 17 months ago.....you mean it wasn´t real all this time.....geez......:rolleyes:

CancelIFR

2nd Jan 2011, 16:58

Now what does THAT mean? I have been using my iPhone as my only alarm since I got it 17 months ago.....you mean it wasn´t real all this time.....geez......:rolleyes:someones going to sleep through checkin tomorrow...mine sure hasnt worked since last year :}

ORAC

2nd Jan 2011, 17:01

There's been another alarm clock bug. iPhone users anger turns to alarm (http://www.telegraph.co.uk/technology/apple/8235872/iPhone-users-anger-turns-to-alarm.html)

ramp_up

2nd Jan 2011, 18:03

The M134 App. Then you can be as cool as a Chinook Crewman.

PAPI-74

2nd Jan 2011, 18:10

Skys of Glory is great.

You mentioned skype - I have it on my HTC and at home. Before Xmas we had 22,000 missed skype calls and a virus. What was that all about and is it safe to use?

zondaracer

2nd Jan 2011, 18:25

AOPA App if you live in USA

Mick Strigg

2nd Jan 2011, 18:27

Plane Finder is fun; it plots the IFF and identifies aircraft flying all around the world - and it's free!

Yellow Sun

2nd Jan 2011, 19:20

Have a look around the forums ("forae" for the classicists :8) relevant to your hobbies and interests. There are a large number of specialist and "niche" applications being written and some like this one (http://www.sport-shooting.com/) are really quite good.

Rutty

hval

3rd Jan 2011, 00:24

I currently have ( and use):

Chambers dictionary
Chambers thesaurus
PDF Reader
Touch Calc
A2ZPro (conversions)
MultiLevel
Dimensions
Geometrics
Math Ref
Theodolite Pro
MotionX GPS
Grid Point GB
OS GB 250K
I41CX + RPN Calc (might bring memories back for some)
FTP on the Go
Dragon Dictation
Camera for iPad
WeatherPro
Met Office
I-Clickr PowerPoint
IBlueSky mind mapping software
Wind Meter
ForeFlight Mobile
TomTom Western Europe
YouNote Full
Find in Page
IDisk
Farley File

These are complimented by and compliment software packages on my iPad and laptop. I got the iPad as it is a much larger screen, let allows me to work all day without recharging batteries. (battery last longer than on my iPhone as I currently use it) I have a Bluetooth keyboard to work with the iPad that allows me to work on documents much more easily by increasing screen real estate and by providing a real keyboard.

A solar recharger for the iPhone is an excellent idea.

hval

FerrypilotDK

3rd Jan 2011, 04:51

OMG lYou are absolutely right! This morning, my wife's did NOT work, although hers has never failed before!!!! (was it my angel trying to send me a message? Sent me here for knowledge of the bug, and I missed it?) BUT, I often set mine the number of hours I want....fex 7:30, hours from now.....so mine went off and saved the day!

See you learn so much in here.. Google alarm clock bug and you might find a fix for yours..... I have not updated my firmware, and so it appears I don't have the glitch at all.......woohoo

Ciao

FerrypilotDK

3rd Jan 2011, 05:37

You mentioned skype - I have it on my HTC and at home. Before Xmas we had 22,000 missed skype calls and a virus. What was that all about and is it safe to use?

Yes, they have apologised, explained on their website what happened and how they will attempt to ensure that it never happens again, and then they extyended everyone´s SkypeOut accounts by 7 days as a "thank-you for understanding" gesture. A company that cares to inform their clients of the problem, what they are doing to fix it and takes responsibility....then gives a token to say....sorry. Maybe they should invest in an airline and run it the same way.....

FerrypilotDK

3rd Jan 2011, 06:00

Thanks for the tips so far. Have been clicking and pasting to the Store and checking out the various Apps. Have found several that I look forward to using that I have never heard of before, so a nice interchange of experience!

By the by, here are a couple no one has mentioned that I use all the time-

WhatsApp (uses WiFi for texting)
Camera+
Currencies (updates exchange rates and used for making expense reports when I have lots of country stops.)
Navigon Europe and North America. Never lost in a rental car!
OnTime (For when the boss says-"I need to be in Hong Kong Tuesday morning at 10. What time do we need to leave Kiev?" Takes 3 minutes to give a reasonable answer in local time in Kiev.....fantastic! You need to input your aircraft data, but the fuel flows and times are useful)
Jet Fuelling
Winter 320
Booking.com

Have fun!

richlear

3rd Jan 2011, 08:33

Flight Control - unfortunately very addictive.....

oldbeefer

3rd Jan 2011, 08:38

Flight Control - unfortunately very addictive.....

Agreed - so what are the best scores aficionados have achieved?

Top Bunk Tester

3rd Jan 2011, 10:43

Flight Control - 471 on the original airfield

FerrypilotDK

3rd Jan 2011, 13:32

BEagle

3rd Jan 2011, 13:44

Another Apple bug? And I thought that the iMMac brigade always crowed about how good their software is alleged to be....

The alarm on my good old Nokia 6310i still works fine, it has almost a week's standby battery life, it has always been reliable and works well with the handsfree car kit.

I know that these iMMac gadgets are addicitve and seem to be aimed at yoof, but I'd sooner have a phone which is a phone, a camera which is a camera, a laptop which is a computer and a GPS which is a GPS. Pretty displays and kiddy games are an irrelevance to many - simplicity of use and good battery life are of much greater importance.

I'm reasonably gadget-savvy, but these iPhone and iPad things are really just pretty toys, to be brutally honest.

sirsaltyhelmet

3rd Jan 2011, 13:54

There is only one App you need - ANGRY BIRDS

Another St Ivian

3rd Jan 2011, 14:33

Angry Birds, Flight Control....write-off your whole working week there.

(380 on the original airfield!)

LBP PC DC

3rd Jan 2011, 15:23

BEagle, I used to think just like you, then it all went wrong, my perfectly serviceable brick was replaced by a Motorola RZR (most georgeous piece of telecomms equipment ever made) then a PDA arrived on the scene. One day while contemplating acquiring a GPS I discovered that I could get a single device that did all 3 so I bought an XDA. Another one followed when the first one died after a respectable lifespan and when that finally went to the great IT Store in the sky I fell for it's looks and elegance and got myself an iPhone - days now fly by as I play Angry Birds or work out that was that just flew over head on Plane Finder - and it certainly beats work :E
Try one BEagle, join us.....join us.....

blaireau

3rd Jan 2011, 15:51

I bought an iPhone 10 months ago.

It now contains numerous reference tomes and dictionaries, as well as some games, all sorts of Met stuff, maps, Skype, etc, and it's the best bit of techno-kit I have ever had.

BEagle

3rd Jan 2011, 16:16

Of course, in the good old days ('Back in the day' to use the argot of yoof-speak) 'PDA' meant something far more enjoyable.....:E

Talking to an IT wise-head the other day, he told me that people turned away from last year's fad, the 'netbook', when the iPad appeared. But it's no use for work and the e-mail applications are poorly thought out. Pretty for web surfing, but that's about all.

LBP PC DC

3rd Jan 2011, 17:18

BEagle, couldn't agree more, I seriously looked into buying one and realised that while it is very good at what it does AND looks absolutely gorgeous, it wasn't fit for my purpose. Doesn't stop me wanting one though:8

Green Flash

3rd Jan 2011, 17:31

Sirs, Ma'ams, Ladies and Gentlemen, thanks for all your words of wisdom.:D

sled dog

3rd Jan 2011, 19:35

I cannot fault my Blackberry 8900, which i consider more of a practical work tool, than the handheld amusement arcade that the iphone appears to be :}

hval

3rd Jan 2011, 22:39

@ Beagle
[QUOTE]but these iPhone and iPad things are really just pretty toys, to be brutally honest. [QUOTE]

Have to disagree on that one. I got fed up carrying full size laptops around and tried six different net books (hopeless every one of them). Thought long and hard about an iPad. My argument against is that there is no proper file management system and that printing is not as easy as it should be; along with being tied to another computer. My arguments for are: that I am able to create documents, edit documents, create and manage work flows, manage emails, calendar, manage meetings and minute taking, create sketches and drawings as required, carry out presentations, task management and prioritisation, hazard management, risk management, read and create pdf documents, "do" dictation, read the Times newspaper and do the odd math thingy here and there. All with FTP uploads and much, much more. I use the iPad for work and for play (web browsing, crosswords, music and very rarely movies). On top of all that it has an 8 1/2 hour battery life and is light. Many many civilian business also find the iPad a godsend.

I do not regret my iPad purchase for work. I do regret that it is so attractive to children. Some little horror managed to scratch the screen when the iPad was only a few weeks old. Fortunately the scratch is barely noticeable.

So, not a toy.

Hval.

Edited for spellinj errur

snafu

3rd Jan 2011, 23:55

Personally, I get the most use from:

Train Times (particularly good to track connections if you're changing en-route)
Aeroweather
Tripadvisor
Met Office
Amazon UK

...and you can forget Angry Birds, Fragger is the way ahead!:ok:

BEagle

4th Jan 2011, 06:12

OK, perhaps 'toy' was being a bit harsh...

I've always used small laptops and a 'normal' mobile phone. Dell Latitude LT (too fragile - plugs and sockets in particular) with Win95 for about 3-4 years, then Latitude X200 with WinXP Pro which is still going OK after 7 years on the road, but is pensioned off for home use now due to low speed (930 MHz) and limited memory (632 Mb RAM, 28 Gb C-drive). My primary system is now a Dell Vostro 3300 (2270 MHz; 2920 Mb RAM, 298 Gb C-drive) which is fine for all usual requirements. I'm still with WinXP SP3 although the system can be 'upgraded' :hmm: to Win7... Connection to the Internet is normally by home WLAN or on the road WiFi - but I also have a Vodafone 3G dongle if really necessary (or if the WiFi connection fee is a rip-off!).

'2.5G' GPRS never really caught on; I had it for aviation weather but that was about all. I haven't found that I need to be 'Blackberry contactable', although I accept that many people swear by the things.

Touch screen GPS is fine; I'm happy with the Garmin nüvi 600 I've had for 4 years now, but the screen needs to be cleaned reasonably often. Sticky little fingers on an iPad screen must be a nightmare, but how easy is it to clean off normal fingerprints?

iPhones seem to have reasonably easy to clean screens - but you'd be surprised how many business users still cling on to the excellent Nokia 6310i which has been out of production for 5 years now. As I do! The phone has such a loyal following that people will still pay £100 for a fully refurbished one from a specialist provider - no other mobile phone in history has ever been so popular.

FerrypilotDK

4th Jan 2011, 07:50

Beagle,

That is an interesting opinion regarding the iPad, but doesn't fit my experience. Looking over the lists further up, you find numerous utilities for iPads and iPhones that increase productivity many times over. All the world's approach plates at your fingertips on the iPad, various calculators, great battery life, the e-mail interface is fantastic, especially if you have several accounts...they ALL come up, without having to use a browser!

I do have a couple entertainment Apps, but for the most part it is work-related and the built in screen keyboard, shifts for me from Nordic, German and English keyboards with a single tap. Absolutely brilliant and I find that I need the "real computer," only about 15% of the time. In addition, I now also have a library of books with me in iBooks, can convert PDFs to "books" and have vast amounts of useful reference materials in a searchable format in a smallish shoulder bag.

But heh.....there is a charm to pen and paper, vintage motorcycles and antiques, so use what works and makes your day.

FerrypilotDK

4th Jan 2011, 07:59

Missed the post about fingerprints and the detailing of your gadgets. To the practical, I have this incredible black cloth, no idea what it was called....bought at the Apple Store.....cleans the screen in a flash, from all my fingertip marks. No idea how it works so well, but continues to surprise me, that it does.

Glad to see that you are not a complete Luddite, which I suspected....:ok:

As we have 3 iPhones and iPad in the house, aside from all the various larger computers, it was also "interesting" to experience, that when I bought GPS programming, I could load it into ALL the devices. So we all have GPS with us all the time and including North American and European databases, so we have a known format available when-ever we set ourselves in the rental car. In many cities, I can use the map function included to tell me the local bus/underground connections, including "walk 80 meters XX direction, where the number 35B bus will arrive in 12 minutes" That never ceases to amaze me and I can get around like a local in new places.

I guess I am hooked.....

hval

4th Jan 2011, 09:10

@ Beagle

The iPad screen does get marked quite easily. Same as FerrypilotDK I have an antibacterial microfibre cloth that I carry arround to regularly clean the screen. I did try a screen protector for a couple of months, but this took away from the screen quality so I removed it. just don't eat any greasy pies when using iPad.

Before my iPad purchase I used my iPhone for much of what I do (have posted a list of programmes I still have on it in this thread). The ability to carry out phone call conferences easily is a big plus. I also find that I am able to text much quicker than people who do not have an iPhone.

The iPad screen being so much larger is a godsend for me. Makes my life so much easier. To assist with typing large documents I have a blue tooth keyboard that means that I then have all the screen for a document. It is great. I also have a stylus (bought in Canada) that I some times use. The iPad is not perfect, but it beats carrying a laptop around. Yes, it does not have a full operating system, but that is to its' benefit. The reason I disliked netbooks so much was the fact that they all have a full Windows OS, which the processors and RAM are unable to cope with. I agree with Ferrypilot DK about emailing. The calendar is also brilliant.

I have just received an 11" Macbook Air to trial. Have not had much opportunity to use it as yet, but is is a smart bit of kit. Unfortunately battery life is about 5 hours. I wish I could install some of the iPad apps on it. Have also enjoyed using the Macbook Air so far.

I agree that the Nokia 6310i is a good phone. If you want more from a phone though it is not able to match the iPhone. Having said that, different people utilise their phone/ pdas etc in different ways and have differing requirements. The iPhone and iPad nearly meet my requirements.

Hval

barnstormer1968

4th Jan 2011, 09:35

I will add a few apps that I find to be very useful.

Torch
Starmap
Met office
Redlaser (this is a price comparison app that works using bar codes, and saves me a fortune)
Memory-map
Decibel
Documents 2
Ebay
TrafficEye (allows you to see the display from motorway traffic cameras all over the UK)
TankScope (very amusing)
Wikihood
Tunein Radio
eCompass

Plus a selection of bird, tree and fungi guides for outdoor use.

Edited to add: I use a military grade (whatever that is) scratch proof cover on my iphone, and this is VERY effective, as well as being an anti glare cover at the same time. I use a rubber case to protect the phone in daily use, but will switch to an Otterbox armoured case when backpacking etc.

hval

4th Jan 2011, 10:38

@Barnstormer 1968.

Is the Otterbox the military grade case you mentioned, or the rubber case? If the rubber case, may I ask which one do you use? If the Otterbox, how do you find it on the iPhone?

@ Beagle

Something I forgot to include in my previous posting is that my wife is a complete techno luddite. She keeps losing or breaking mobile telephones that I give her; normally in the middle of some god foresaken peat bog. When I gave her my old iPhone she asked why. After a few days use, she told me that she wished that she had taken me up a lot sooner on my offer to buy her an iPhone. She loves the ease of using the contacts list for making calls, loves the text messaging software and loves the email and calendaring functions. She has also seen how I utilise my iPad and is tempted in taking mine off me when the new one comes out. The wife believes that the iPad might be a useful tool for her.

Hval

Navaleye

4th Jan 2011, 11:59

Ive been an iphone user from day 1, I also have an ipad which is the most useful thing ive ever bought. My iphone has been retired to secondary duties and been replaced by an HTC Desire which has a vastly superior browsing experience.

Best iphone app: Gymbabes

Roadster280

4th Jan 2011, 14:08

I'll throw my appreciation for the iPhone and iPad in here. I've been an enthusiastic user of the iPhone through 3 different versions now, each better than the last. Being exclusively an Apple computer user, it all just works together. None of this virus checking, malware protection, constant system updates, OS crashes etc. The foundation of it all is UNIX, whether it be a phone, iPad or Mac. A proper, secure, multi-user, multi-tasking operating System. Add to that the Aqua GUI of the Mac and the iOS GUIs on the phone & iPad, together with some very innovative industrial designs, and you have a winner. They do cost a bit more, and they're not absolutely perfect, but do you want a Mercedes-Benz, or are you going to settle for a Ford?

Looking forward, I've been putting some effort into getting to grips with iOS application programming. I'm looking for some ideas for simple apps, like reference and calculations perhaps. Anyone have a need for an app that they'd like, but isn't available? Or perhaps an existing app that doesn't quite do what you need? I'd be interested to hear, and may be able to help.

barnstormer1968

4th Jan 2011, 15:17

hval

Sorry, I was not clear enough in my post, but I was referring to a screen cover.
The Otterbox case I use is the 'Otterbox impact case'. This is not waterproof, but is fairly thick and has built up corners with impact absorbing ribs inside (so it is not just solid). The only problem I get with this case is that it is harder to touch the extreme edges of the screen, and especially so when wearing gloves, as the case is fairly thick either side of the screen. For full waterproofness, and with an ability to still use the phone, I keep it in an Aloksak (as I would with all gadgets).

The screen cover was bought over the internet, and was sold as being non reflective and highly scratch resistant. One month after fitting the screen cover, a framed picture fell from a wall in the house, bounced down the stairs which broke the glass on the front, and then this broken glass hit the screen of my iphone! The glass fell at least one and a half metres, and landed sharp edge on to the screen. I did have to pick some small shards of glass from the surface of the cover, but otherwise it was fine. I replaced the cover (they came in packs of three), and the original screen underneath was still perfect.

As a further comment on my phone use, I keep the phone charged (when away from home) using a power monkey explorer charger. This has world wide plug adaptors, a 12v car charger, adaptor tips for my other electronic devices, a reserve battery giving one and half full charges as well as a remote solar charger. The solar charger has powered my phone for several weeks at a time, even in the cloudy British weather!