iWill

It's about time I did a 'Techy' post, if you can't follow it all please feel free to direct all questions you have: here.

I've been thinking about buying myself a shiny new 'smartphone' since the details for Google Android (Google's move into mobile phones) started being released. There are essentially three options if you want a good smartphone:

1. Windows Mobile
2. Google Android
3. Apple iPhone

Windows Mobile is basically like Windows, it's functional, has good support and is on a lot of good phones, but doesn't really have the cool 'location aware' applications that both Android and the iPhone have and requires a bit more effort to set things the way you want.

Android looks awesome, and has a lot of potential as it is completely open source and there are already a lot of great applications for it (like local price comparison). However it is only properly available on one phone which is just about the come out in America and won't be in Europe until next year.

The iPhone is the prettiest of the lot by far and has a lot of downloadable applications for it which are easily downloaded from the iTunes store. It was these apps and what they do that swung it for me.

So after an undisclosed sum of money I have my very own 8GB iPhone:

This may seem like a wholly frivolous purchase, but it has been incredibly useful. Some of the more productive applications are:

Berlin Metro App: This is essentially a mobile version of the BVG online route planner, with a map built in and it can automatically tell you which station you are closest to (using the iPhone's GPS). This is especially useful late at night when the U-Bahn stops running and you need to get a tram or bus.

iCal: The calendar that syncs with iCal on the map, which I have set up to automatically subscribe to the Berlin Couch Surfers Events calendar so I can keep an eye on what is happening in Berlin.

Google Maps: This is a lot like using a GPS like TomTom, which is has helped me find a few things in Berlin. But you can also search for things nearby, like bars, restaurants, balloon shops (anything really) and then get directions to them.

OmniFocus: This is a 'to do list' application that allows me to note things down as I think of them (as my memory is just atrocious) and then set reminders to do them. What is really cool with this though is that you can set certain location based parameters, so I can select 'Nearby To-Do's' and if I'm at home it'll tell me what I have to do at home. When I'm in town and I have shopping to do for example I need to buy a notepad, it'll search for nearby stationary shops then gives me directions to them. This make getting things done inifitely easier and a lot more engaging.

Stanza: This is a book reading app, I had been looking for a book to read on the metro and this solves the problem eloquently. It has links to download a huge library of free books. I decided to download all of the Sherlock Holmes books as despite listening to the radio dramatisations (long car journeys on family holidays) I never read any of the books. I'm currently reading 'A Study in Scarlet'.

English-German Dictionary: I've been meaning to buy a dictionary for my German class since I started. This app allows me to simply type in the word I want to translate and it gives me the translation along with examples and it's gender (der,die,das). It can also conjugate verbs and convert numbers into text (i.e. typing 120 writes hundertswanzig). A real help for my course and mush quicker to use than a paper dictionary.

Speaking Phrasebook: A digital phrasebook that also has sound clips for each phrase.

If I wanted to do all of the above without an iPhone, I'd need a U-Bahn map, a timetable, a street map, a Filofax for my appointments etc, a pad of paper for To-Do's, a book, a dictionary, a phrasebook and a camera which would take up a fair bit more room than 115.5 mm by 62.1 mm by 12.3 mm. So it saves me a lot of space, although I still carry my Metro map around in my bag, just in case.

iWill: Macbook, iPod, iPhone.