Recently in App of the Week Category
Documents To Go, one of the most popular and longest running mobile office applications, is now available for the iPhone and iPod touch.
According to the DataViz, the developer, Documents To Go delivers support for Microsoft Word, Excel & PowerPoint, PDF, Apple iWork and other files. It includes a desktop application (Win and Mac) to provide 2-way file synchronization.
It is supposed to be the only solution currently available that supports Microsoft Word 2007 editing on the iPhone. Excel editing will be offered as a free upgrade when it becomes available. Learn more about the app here, which is currently discounted at $4.99, at the App Store.
A version with support for attachments is also available for Microsoft Exchange e-mail users who need to send, receive and edit attachments on the iPhone. This version goes for $9.99 and is available here.
iPhone and iPod touch owners have downloaded the standard WeatherBug app over two million times.
DDH Software has released a Mac OS X conduit for syncing HanDBase databases stored on iPhone and iPod touch devices. HanDBase, long a popular relational database for many types of mobile devices (e.g. Palm OS, Windows Mobile, Symbian S60, and RIM BlackBerry), was released last fall for Apple's mobile devices. With the new add-on users can finally fully synchronize their databases with their Macs.
When using HanDBase on the iPhone or iPod touch, a feature called Desktop Connect enables a wireless connection between the iPhone and any desktop web browser. Using this connection, users can install databases to and back up databases from their device. But having a conduit available adds many additional capabilities using this same Wi-Fi connection capability.
For instance, with the new Mac HanDBase Plus add-on conduit, all databases stored on the iPhone/iPod touch are mirrored on the desktop automatically when the user initiates a sync. Also, using the HanDBase Desktop, users can make changes to records and these changes are intelligently merged with the changes made on the iPhone. Many synchronization modes are available to fine-tune the way the data is merged for each database with the new Mac OS conduit, according to DDH.
HandBase goes for $9.99 here.The new HanDBase Plus for iPhone add-on (conduit) package is now available at DDHSoftware.com for an introductory price of $14.99. It is normally $24.99.
Keeper ($.99, available here) from Callpod is an application that enables users to quickly, easily and safely store all sensitive passwords, notes, lists and other personal information on their iPhone. The software allows users to search, index and protect information through multi-layer, 28-bit military-grade AES encryption. In addition to storing data on the user's device, Keeper backs it up on their PC or Mac. It also allows users to share protected data between multiple iPhones and even has a self-destruct mode that erases all secret data if a password been entered wrong a certain number of times.
After playing the amazing Rolando (available here), we were happy to give Ngmoco's new game, WordFu, a try, and it doesn't disappoint. Consider it Boggle with an edge. In this low-priced ($.99, available here) game, you're first presented with 9 letters on dice. You can shake your iPhone to get all new letters or flick individual letters to change them. Decide quickly, because there's a time limit. When you're satisfied, hit Go to start a round.
You then play by tapping out as many words as possible with the letters you're given. You can use letters more than once, which helps. As you build bigger words and earn bigger scores, you're presented with power-ups, such as the ability to freeze the clock, and you can earn different colored belts as you advance. The app also lets you play head-to-head against other people.
WordFu is beautifully put together and is ideal as a small diversion for when you have a few minutes of free time. It must be one of the best games in the store for only $.99. If you enjoy word games, give it a try and start earning your belts.
If you're a social networking devotee, you'll love having Nambu on your iPhone (available here), since it lets you keep track of Twitter, FriendFeed, Ping.fm, and more all from one convenient app. A simple tabbed interface lets you switch between the areas and follow your updates.
This isn't the most fully featured Twitter client we've seen, but it has the advantage of being free, and-more importantly-the developer seems committed to adding new features. The latest update added a Twitter user information page, support for threaded Twitter replies, and the ability to Retweet a message. We'd love to see the ability to track Twitter trends added.
Our favorite Twitter app is still Tweetie (available here), but if you're looking for something free and you use the other social networking tools that are included, this is a strong contender.
We first decided to check out Guitar Toolkit ($9.99, available here) because we recently bought an acoustic guitar and we needed a way to tune it. The tuner that comes with Apple's GarageBand was having trouble hearing our notes, even with a reliable microphone, so we turned to the iTunes Store for help. Guitar Toolkit's digital tuner makes quick work of adjustments: it heard our notes perfectly and had us strumming in tune in under a minute.
There's much more to Guitar Toolkit, however, While there are several guitar tuners available from iTunes, none of the others offers the range of useful information you'll find here. The app offers an easy-to-navigate chord library that shows us just where to hold our fingers for over 1,500 chords.
It also has includes a metronome that supports time signatures (by providing a different sound for the downbeat of each measure) and offers a flash interface if you'd prefer quiet help. While we've been using it with a standard six-string guitar, the app can also be set to tune 12-string guitars and 4- and 5-string basses.
It's not just a tuner, but a powerful guitar resource and it's handy for this beginning player (or guitar gods of any level) to have on hand.
With its unusual method of delivering content, Ziibii (available here) isn't for everyone, but many will find it interesting enough to take a look. The app lets you subscribe to RSS feeds, Flickr keywords, Twitter accounts, and more, then watch updated content scroll across the screen in what's called "the river."
If the scrolling view is too odd for you, Ziibii also offers a list view of new content. You can tap any item to view a longer entry, or tap a tap a red button to the right of it to replace it with a new entry. It adds a random flavor to your browsing: you can stock it with your online favorites, but you still don't know what you'll get.
We're not going to say this is the greatest Twitter client in the world or that it's even the most useful way to get updated information, but it presents an appealing random interface that we're really digging. When so much on the Net is structured and organized, it's fun to be surprised once in a while.

