Thanks to Kevin Purdy at LifeHacker.com for this article on his favorite Iphone apps for keeping your New Year’s Resolutions regarding getting fit, losing weight and generally putting your life in order for the New Year…

The Five Best iPhone Apps for Keeping Your New Year’s Resolutions

Last weekend we suggested 10 tools for sticking to your New Year’s Resolutions. Those with an iPhone or iPod touch, though, have a few additional, always-available tools for keeping up the good self-improvement fight.

Here’s our list of five apps that make tracking, remembering, and motivating your resolutions easier than willpower alone. All of them (except RunKeeper) run on both iPhones and iPod touch models.

RunKeeper for motivating your run

Running is one of, if not the best, exercise plan for those who like immediate, measurable proof of their progress. RunKeeper, a free app that Adam used to roll his own Nike+ iPhone for free, is the data-hound’s running companion. Using the iPhone’s GPS powers, where and how far you went is mapped out (if with a few glitches), your calories burned and average speed marked, and it can all be searched through and/or synced to the RunKeeper web site. For a similar solution with a different mix of strengths and features, try Fitnio. (RunKeeper Free and Pro)

Weightbot for, well, your weight

For just $2, you can grab an app that makes measuring your body weight sort of (seriously) fun. The previously toured iPhone/iPod touch app has a really slick look to it, and takes your weight down in tenths-of-a-pound increments, along with auto-calculating your Body Mass Index. Your day-by-day progress can be graphed out and tracked against a goal weight, and if you’re concerned about friends prone to “Ooh, let me see your iPhone apps!” fever, Weightbot can be password locked before giving away the stats. (Store link)

Remember the Milk for everything else

This one’s a bit pricier, but you’re getting more than just a nagging reminder to do this or don’t do that. With a $25/year Remember the Milk Pro account, its iPhone/iPod touch app (which offers 15 free days to any account) gives you pretty much complete access to all your lists, tasks, alerts, reminders, and whatever resolution you’re plugging in. Plus, using geo-location features, you can goad yourself into stopping by Goodwill to finally drop off those clothes, since you’re already shopping in the neighborhood. As noted in its Top 10 entry, though, RTM’s real benefit is that it syncs itself everywhere at all times. So remembering to buy a better paper filing box while you’re at your desk can pay off the next time you’re in an OfficeMax. (store link)

iOwn to stop hoarding stuff

Most of us can probably do with a little less stuff, and we’re all prone to buying things we already own—I’ll point you to a drawer full of barely-used duct tape, if you’d like. iOwn is a one-stop spot for keeping track of those things you always tend to buy more of, or just want to have more details about the stuff you already have at your fingertips (does the DVD player take component cables, or just S-Video?). You can give any item as many attributes as you’d like, and the full $5 version lets you store, and backup online, as many items as you can think of (the free, Lite version is a 10-item trial). It’s pitched as a total-home organizer, but if you’ve just got one collection or acquisition habit you’re looking to reign in—spices, music, photo frames, whatever—it’s pretty indispensable. (via LA Times Blogs; iOwn free and lite links)

Mint for managing your money

Mint.com’s a streamlined webapp for graphing, tracking, budgeting, and otherwise keeping tabs on your money. Its free iPhone/iPod companion is no less a handy tool, and it’s just as secure and informative. Check your basic balances, browse your last few days’ cash flow, and peek at multiple budgets you set up for yourself from a series of sliding screens. If you fear losing your device and opening up your financial world to the thief, you can remotely deactivate the read-only tool from your Mint.com profile. If you can get your head around Mint’s money management, you’ll really benefit from this app…

That’s our flight of five apps, but we want to hear what free or paid iPhone/iPod apps work for goals and resolutions.

Technorati Tags: App Store, iphone app, runners software, weight loss software

Yes, just when you thought things could not get weirder, here comes a new iPhone application for those with a sense of humor who enjoy gross out fun…the iFart, billed as the “Fart Machine for All Ages” is 99 cents and offers free lifetime updates (wonder what those will be like?).

Among its many uses, the iFart application can be used to trigger its unique (and probably startling) noise when someone moves your iPhone (thus its use as a security device).

Reviews on iTunes are mixed…some love it, some think the offerings are not real enough sounding…you be the judge. Here is a You Tube video about it…oh, and by the way, the developer reportedly made $40,000 in 2 days sellling this! Available through the iPhone App Store.

Technorati Tags: App Store, Apple, fart machine, funny apps, humor, ifart, iphone app

Thanks to Brad Stone at the NY Times for this recent blog post about Amazon’s entry into the iPhone app arena…

Amazon.com Invades the Apple App Store

Amazon.com will join the iPhone frenzy… with a new application available free for download through Apple’s App Store.

The software is relatively straightforward, offering a way for iPhone or iPod Touch owners to browse through all the products offered by Amazon.com, as well as by third-party retailers like Target and Macy’s that make their products available online through Amazon.

There is, however, one unusual and noteworthy aspect of the app called Amazon Remembers, which Amazon is calling “experimental.” The tool lets users take a photograph of any product they see in the real world. The photos are then uploaded to Amazon and turned over to the far-flung freelance workers in Amazon’s Mechanical Turk program, who will try to match them with products for sale on Amazon.com. The results will not be instantaneous (between 5 minutes and 24 hours, the company says), but the idea is to entice consumers to buy products from Amazon instead of its offline rivals.

Amazon Remembers is similar to other features Amazon has introduced this year in its continuing effort to filch sales from other Web sites and retailers. TextBuyIt, a mobile messaging service introduced in April, lets people send a text message to Amazon at 262966 with the name of a product or a search term. It then replies with a number of buying options.

Another new feature that Amazon introduced this year, Universal Wish List, is a Web browser toolbar that lets people directly add the products they covet to their Amazon account when they see them on other Web sites.

AOL RADIO- GET RADIO WORLDWIDE - LOCAL CHANNELS AVAILABLE VIA GPS LOCATOR 

How cool is this? I recently discovered that AOL Radio is available for the iPhone. I love this feature on my laptop and am glad it is now available for my phone. AOL Radio offers 350 music, sports, talk and news stations and will find local radio stations for you to choose from via your GPS locator or you can listen to channels in far flung places.- whatever suits your fancy.

Watch this You Tube video about this feature and then visit the App Store to download this free app.

 

 

Technorati Tags: Amazon, AOL Radio, App Store, Apple, iphone app, New iphone applications

Thanks to CNET for this article on the newest iPhone app- Amazon.com for the iPhone available through iTunes.

Amazon Mobile now ringing up sales on iPhone

Posted by Jessica Dolcourt

(Credit: CNET)

On Wednesday, Amazon announced the throwing open of its virtual doors to iPhone and iPod Touch users everywhere with Amazon Mobile, a free app now available in the iTunes App Store.

It’s a pretty nice offering that simplifies the search experience for products found not just on Amazon.com, but also on partner retailers Target and Macy’s.

The bulk of the app is dominated by a search bar you can launch either from the home screen or from a separate Search screen. While there’s a tiny promo area on Amazon Mobile’s home screen, the app completely omits browsing by categories. The vast majority of shoppers probably beeline to their wanted product, but there should be an option to browse from the More menu.

The surprise feature is one Amazon is trying on for size that lets you snap a photo of a product to jog your memory later. In addition, the app will try to find the product in Amazon’s catalog. Amazon Remembers, as the feature’s called, was a little slow when we tried it out, but found our products in the end.

This visual shopping assistant is a great feature that replicates many others we’ve seen for iPhone and Google Android. SnapTell for iPhone (free) is also more flexible, pulling in data and price comparisons from IMDb, Barnes and Noble, and Wikipedia, along with Amazon.com.

However, Amazon Mobile’s advantage to registered members is its simplified purchasing that honors 1-Click buying and Amazon Prime, and its memory for items you’ve flagged in your wish list, shopping cart, and now, photo bank.

Technorati Tags: Amazon mobile, Apple, free iphone app, iphone app, new iphone app

Thanks to author Matt McGee in Searchland.com

for an interesting article on Google’s new enhancement to its iPhone app: Voice Search Capability- watch for it coming soon on iTunes but before you read this watch a demo from Google courtesy of Youtube:

The New York Times reports in Friday’s newspaper that Google’s iPhone app will be updated with voice search capability. The move should come as no surprise: The launch of Goog411 in 2007 brought immediate speculation that mobile voice search was on the way, and Google tells the Times that data collection from the Goog411 project helped create this new iPhone service.

With the new Google iPhone app, you’ll be able to speak your search query into the phone rather than having to type it out. The Times article explains what happens after you ask your question:

“The sound is converted to a digital file and sent to Google’s servers, which try to determine the words spoken and pass them along to the Google search engine.

The search results, which may be displayed in just seconds on a fast wireless network, will at times include local information, taking advantage of iPhone features that let it determine its location.”

The Times article says Google’s updated iPhone app should be available Friday. It’s a free update, and Google expects to make the voice search feature available on other phones, too.

Postscript from Greg: I just checked and the app doesn’t yet appear to be available in the iTunes store. As the Markoff article mentions in the Times, both Yahoo and Microsoft have a variety of voice search apps.

Microsoft’s Live Search mobile client app has offered voice for some time, but it’s limited to mostly local categories. Microsoft also owns Tellme, which offers both the free directory assistance alternative 800-555-Tell and an app for BlackBerry that is voice powered. Microsoft also separately operates 1-800-Call-411.

In July Google introduced a voice-powered version of Google Maps for BlackBerry. Earlier this year Yahoo introduced voice for oneSearch (full web search) with Vlingo. This is what Google is now introducing essentially.

As mentioned, there are also a host of free directory assistance alternatives in the market (six or seven major ones), including Tellme, Call-411 and Goog411. The recognition engine behind Goog411 powers the new iPhone voice search.

Among the range of “voice search” and free directory assistance alternatives services now in the market, mobile ChaCha is noteworthy because it allows users to ask any question, essentially full web search, not just “what city what listing.” It also uses humans behind the scenes to disambiguate and answer queries. ChaCha has said that some of its heaviest users are doing query volumes that mirror search activity levels on the desktop. Hypothetically the more queries, the more ads — potentially.

In terms of the iPhone, a range of companies are working voice “search” or control for the device, including Nuance which previously demo’d voice control and search for the iPhone. The first to officially offer a voice capability for search was Dial Directions, which has two voice controlled iPhone apps, Say Who and Say Where. The former is voice control for contacts/dialing and the latter, introduced several months ago, is voice-based local search through selected sites via the Safari browser.

The key with all of these voice applications is the accuracy of the speech recognizers. The failure rates remain an issue, although they’re improving and variable from app to app.

So far voice has not proven to be the “killer app” for mobile search (as I once believed it would be). However Google’s new voice search iPhone capability should be helpful in selected situations — while in the car, for example, when directory assistance is most heavily used or for longer “long tail” queries that are highly specific. Indeed, it may result in longer or more precise query strings.

Regardless, I’m sure the new Google voice search capability will be quite popular among iPhone users.

LINK TO iTUNES HERE

Technorati Tags: Google iphone application, iphone app, voice search