Inspired by German entrepreneur
Kolja Hebenstreit's
Blog post on iPhone apps I too wanted to share some of the Apps and iPhone optimized websites I use on a daily basis and find very useful. His list comprises some very fine apps that I run on a daily basis, too.
Apps
Of course all the communication apps like
Facebook,
LinkedIn,
Xing, and especially
Skype fulfill their purpose. They don't have any special features in my opinion but pose a quickly accessible alternative to the website. Most certainly none of them are a good "complete replacement".
If you work on a Mac I can only recommend using
Things for both, the Mac and the iPhone. Syncing is done quickly and I never experienced any problems there. As long as you are in the same Wi-Fi you don't even have to connect the device. The UI is clean and very intuitive. Managing tasks, projects, or tracking tasks that were assigned to others was never easier.
When traveling by plane with Lufthansa there is nothing better that checking in via the
Lufthansa Launcher. If you have a registered mileage account it will also let you check that. Most of the application involves iPhone optimized websites that are launched after pressing the respective button in the app. Check-in with seat selection and mobile boarding pass are some of the features that take the time-consuming hassles of air travel.
For reading RSS feeds I use
NetNewsWire (Pro). The app connects to your Google Reader profile and downloads all the feeds that are listed there. It is very convenient for checking stuff quickly but also for reading entire articles. I can also recommend the Pro version since the additional 3.99 Euros will take out all ads and stability is no problem.
German Newspaper
Handelsblatt has launched their new app and there I one distinctive feature that I just love about it. You can download all articles with the push of a button. This is great for reading the articles on the plane or other places where you don't have a 3G network or Wi-Fi available.
iPhone-optimized Websites
As a German I praise our public channels
ARD and
ZDF every day. I am glad that we have them. The mobile version of
Tagesschau, probably the most prominent and respected news broadcast, is just great in terms of content and usability.
Another great resources is offered by
Harvard Business. The content is the same as on HarvardBusiness.org and everything is very nicely readable on the small screen, too.
More well researched and commented news are available through
SPIEGEL Online. The mother website is by far the most visited news site in German and the mobile version makes most content viewable on the iPhone.
"Insiders Tip"
If you dont know these Apps just download them and explore their entire beauty:
Dropbox (if you have one),
MProfs (if you are interested in Marketing),
ConAngel (if you go to events that use it),
Tube Status (if you go to London frequently), and
Airport Staus (Free) (if you travel in the US a lot).
What about you?
What do you think of the apps that I have listed here? Do you use them, too? What are your pros and cons? Which apps / websites can you recommend that make your life easier?
(Photo on top: Courtesy of Apple Inc.)
For New Years Eve we went to Tiananmen Square with the expectation to see something but nothing spectacular happened there. More spectacular was the cab ride home as it gave you a great impression of what is must feel like to drive through downtown Baghdad. While all kinds of things exploded left and right from us the cab driver carried on driving with a calming nonchalance.
Going through town is absolutely mind-blowing as you can see and experience the break-neck speed of development that everyone is talking about. This city of 15.5 million is simply one of the most fascinating things I have seen so far.
