iPhone Tools I Traveled With

I just returned home from a couple of weeks on the road. While traveling, I put some new apps for my iPhone through their paces. Here are a few that I’ll be keeping.

  • WordPress 2.0 for iPhone. This was absolutely amazing. I could post to my blog from my iPhone. Upload photos, edit previous posts, save drafts, publish. Everything worked just like it should. My WordPress blog is self-hosted on a private server, so I usually upload photos and documents via FTP. I was concerned that I would have trouble using the iPhone app, but I should not have worried. The app also supports WordPress.com blogs. Everything worked seamlessly. When I returned to my hotel room at night, I could go back and tweak any posts that needed something I might have left out. While I wouldn’t want to post lengthy entries, this app worked great. I could also easily edit comments and pages. The app also has a terrific user forum for support.
  • Facebook for iPhone. If you use Facebook and you have an iPhone you are probably using this free app already. But, for those of you who are still accessing Facebook via the Safari web browser, please, just download the app and start using it. You’ll be glad you did.
  • TweetDeck 1.1.2 for iPhone (updated while on the road). I’ve tried a few different Twitter clients and always come back to the free TweetDeck app. I think this is largely personal preference more than anything else. I like that I can still have columns on my iPhone (swiping to view different columns is very easy). When I want to cross-post to FaceBook, it’s as easy as clicking on one button. Check here for the full list of functions.
  • Reeder 1.1. One thing I try to do while traveling (for business) is keep up with my blog feeds so that I am not inundated at night when I return to the hotel room. I normally use Google Reader on my laptop, and had been using the iPhone equivalent, but recently switched to Reeder. It syncs seamlessly with my Google Reader account and allows me to scroll through my feeds without having to open Safari. It cost me $1.99 but I felt it was worth it. Updated version is due to be released soon.
  • PS Mobile. Most of the time I edit photos in Photoshop on my laptop. But when you are on the go, PS Mobile fits the bill for quick cropping and editing. It’s free, so what do you have to lose?

I had my solid standbys with me too–iFlipr, Things, Library (syncs with my Delicious Library), Olive Tree, and of course Koi Pond. Koi Pond is absolutely mesmorizing for distressed children sitting next to you on an airplane. Don’t hand the phone over to the child, but hold it in your hand and get them to put their finger on the pond and wait for their reaction when the fish start to “nibble” their finger. Everyone in the plane will think you are a hero.

5 thoughts on “iPhone Tools I Traveled With

  1. Karyn Post author

    Hi Doug! Glad the post was helpful to you. You will undoubtedly find more ways to use your iPhone than you ever imagined. I was a skeptic for a while, now I would be hard-pressed to ever give it up!

  2. Mark Traphagen

    Map X now has a turn by turn iPhone GPS driving directions app for just $2.99! After the first month, voice directions are $30 a year (or $3 for a month if you just need it occasionally), but if you have a dashboard mount that let’s you see your phone easily without taking
    eyes off the road, you might not even need the voice option. Until and unless Google’s free turn-by-turn app gets to the iPhone (for now it’s android only), this is an amazing deal and works as well as the $99 apps!

  3. John Murphy

    Also Yelp for finding things (mainly quaint little restaurants you didn’t know were there for me but also stores, museums, etc.).

    Weather channels free weather app for checking weather where you’re going.

    Redlaser. Not so much for travel but worth a mention. Scan a barcode of an item and it does a quick search of your area and online for prices. Discovered I couldn’t do any better than where I was for a video cord I needed. One guy showed results at the store he was at and got an instant discount.

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