This iPhone app is truly for the birds

Filed under: Multimedia, iPhone, App Store, iPod touch

Peterson's famous Field Guide to Backyard Birds [App Store link] has come to the iPhone/iPod touch, and in many ways it is a natural fit with the iPhone multimedia features. The field guide, which is a 92 MB download (!), contains hundreds of bird species, as well as the sounds of their calls, and of course illustrations and information about each bird.

I gave the app a try in my Arizona backyard. First, you enter the first two digits of your zip code, then you are provided a list of birds that should be local to your area. The quail that were sitting on my back wall were on the list, as well as the pesky road runner that peeks in the window every so often. I also learned that the roadrunner is part of the cuckoo family. Who knew?

The guide has some quizzes that can test your knowledge of our feathered friends, and tests to see if you can identify bird calls. You can also zoom in on the bird illustrations to see more details.

Some users have reported bugs and crashes of the app, but in my testing it was quite stable and I can't report any problems. The developer does have a note on the App Store web page saying a new version will be coming out soon with bug fixes and new features.

I think the app needs a search mode so you can type in the name of a desired bird. The information about each bird is pretty thin, and when the lists of local birds is displayed it doesn't seem to be in any order that I can fathom. I'd also like to see the program work in landscape mode.

Even with those criticisms, I found the app useful and informative. The app is $2.99US. Birders will also want to take a look at iBird Explorer Plus [App Store link]. It is pricey at $19.99US but it has a far more expansive catalog of birds, and does allow for searches.

This iPhone app is truly for the birds originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Mon, 09 Feb 2009 12:45:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

This iPhone app is truly for the birds originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Mon, 09 Feb 2009 12:45:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Google Latitude “coming soon” for iPhone

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Review: Seidio Innocell External Battery Pack for iPhone 3G

The Seidio Innocell External Battery Pack for iPhone 3G is the latest accessory to try an mitigate the lack of a user-changeable battery. Unlike cases that strap on to your iPhone, or dongles that plug in to the bottom, the Seidio Innocell, available for $39.95 from the TiPb Store, tries to find a compromise between the capacity and convenience: a good bit of power in a form factor that’s fairly small and unobtrusive.

How does it do? Find out after the break!

What’s in the Box

The Seidio Innocell External Battery Pack for iPhone 3G is no frills in terms of both price and accoutrements. What you get is a small, light bit of plastic with a dock plug that looks pretty much like the bottom third of the iPhone. It would be nice if it included a USB or AC adapter plug. However, since unlike some other solutions, the Seidio Innocell actually contains a dock input of its own, allowing for seamless charging with existing iPhone cables, it’s an understandable cost saving message.

Even the device itself is bare-bones: it’s got a light to show when it’s charging (red), when it’s charged (green), and when it’s giving over that charge to your iPhone (blue). In a bonus bit of design good-thinking, the Seidio Innocell includes a built-in speaker channel to make sure sound isn’t distorted if you want to use your iPhone while you’re recharging it.

How it Works

Simplicity, thy name is Seidio Innocell. Just plug the unit into the bottom of your iPhone and it begins to charge. That’s it.

Because Seidio took pains to make the Innocell look cosmetically like the iPhone — it’s literally made like an extension of the device itself, faux chrome-trim included — it’s easier to use it with your iPhone on-the-go than something like the RichardSolo. The trade-off is lower capacity, of course, with the small, inexpensive Seidio Innocell providing just enough juice to recharge your iPhone 50%.

In my tests, however, the Seidio slightly over-performed. From less than a quarter left, the Seidio re-charged my iPhone to just below full. Since it’s my understanding that the final 15% is the most charge-intensive, the performance was impressive.

Final Thoughts

It’s light to the point of feeling a un-real (what you want in a carry-around), re-charges your iPhone 50% plus (what might not be enough for hard-core conference/event goers), and does a pretty good job of walking the middle ground between case and dongle.

The one complaint I have is the lack of a dock-lock. While the design and fit is excellent, if I have to use it on-the-go, I want the security of knowing it’s not detaching unless I detach it.

Pros

• Simple and easy to use
• Over-performed in my tests
• Uses standard dock port to charge
• Low price-point

Cons

• May not provide enough charge for super-users
• Should lock to dock connector

TiPb Rating

This is a story by the iPhone Blog. This feed is sponsored by The iPhone Blog Store.

Review: Seidio Innocell External Battery Pack for iPhone 3G

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According to WMExperts, it’s Microsoft’s new My Phone (née SkyBox).

Okay, so the name re-un-de-breaks Microsoft’s usually mind-boggling branding — we’re guessing it harkens back to My Computer and My Documents of yore — and including not only PIM data but text messages, photos, videos, and device backup, is something we’d really like to see in the next version of MobileMe.

Our own editor-in-chief, Dieter Bohn, will be live and on location in Barcelona for Mobile World Congress, so we expect he’ll send back all the details, but with everyone at Microsoft already using Exchange (heck, even Apple licenses it!) we have to wonder where My Phone fits in, what if any similar features ActiveSync might get as a result, and why it is exactly Microsoft insists on producing so many products with more overlap than a hair weave?

This is a story by the iPhone Blog. This feed is sponsored by The iPhone Blog Store.

Attack of the iClones: Microsoft Unveils… My Phone!

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Zach Epstein over on the Boy Genius Report wonders out loud why Apple, in its infinite usability, can’t create a mechanism where Apps get downloaded free, and then expire after a short period of time unless you decide to buy and keep them.

So, does Apple really not know how to handle App Store demos yet? Or do they suspect, as TiPb does, f that demos would kill the $0.99 novelty App (and CrApp) impulse-buy business dead? After all, how many would really not tire of the gags before the demo period expired?

I’ll fess up that the Lil John “YEAH!” “OKAY!” “WHAT!” travesty App would never have eaten my $0.99 had there been a demo! What percentage of Apps you’ve bought, do you think having had a demo period wouldn’t have made sure you didn’t buy instead?

This is a story by the iPhone Blog. This feed is sponsored by The iPhone Blog Store.

How Should Apple Handle App Store Demos?

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This is a story by the iPhone Blog. This feed is sponsored by The iPhone Blog Store.

The iPhone Blog Week in Review for February 09, 2009

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