BeeJiveIM, Zombieville USA, App Store, Pocket Tunes Radio, AT&T Navigator, Oleophobic Screen, 1Password Pro – TiPb Picks of the Week
Every week a few of us from team TiPb, bloggers and forum crew alike, will bring you our current favorite, funnest, most useful App Store apps, WebApps, jailbreak apps, even the occasional accessory, web site, or desktop app if the mood strikes us. As long as they’re iPhone (or iPod touch) related, they’re fair game.
So who’s on deck this week and what are our picks? Find out after the break!
Chad’s Pick: BeejiveIM 3.0.
What makes this IM/Chat client so great is the multiple services you can add (AIM, Google Talk, ICQ, Jabber, MSN/Windows Live, MySpace IM, Yahoo! and Facebook) and the great customization features. You can customize the background wallpaper for each chat, change chat bubble colors and more. Apple’s Push Notification service works really well too, I can’t praise it highly enough in this instance. If you need a mutiple -account chat client, Beejive is the way to go! – [$9.99 - iTunes link]
Chris’ Pick: Zombieville USA
I have been spending some time this week playing an old favorite – Zombieville USA. I happened to open it up, saw my high score, and was on a quest to beat 714 zombies. Last night, around 12:32am, I finally got 726 zombies killed! [$1.99 - iTunes link]
James’ Pick: iTunes App Store
Since I have been traveling for the last few weeks, I have been in cities where I am not all that familiar with the surroundings. Enter the App Store. With the ability to find new apps that help me in my current city, I was able to find out of the way places to eat, the BART schedule and tracker in San Francisco and a new game or two to pass the time.
Jeremy’s Pick: Pocket Tunes Radio
Forget paying that $3 a month fee to Sirius XM and still listen to everything they have to offer including Howard Stern. Pocket Tunes does it all for a single fee of $9.99. Well worth it. (Note: you must have a Sirius XM subscription) [$9.99 - iTunes link]
Leanna’s Pick: AT&T Navigator
I’ve been using AT&T Navigator for a couple days now and am rather impressed. It calculates routes quickly and the ETA is very accurate as well. You can also search for places nearby or by name and of course create favorite places. I’ve always been hesitant to get a navigation system because I though Google maps with GPS was good enough… I was wrong! [Free + $9.99/month - iTunes link]
Matt’s Pick: iPhone 3GS Oleophobic Screen
Since getting the iPhone 3GS, I have sat down with it while eating, checking emails & Twitter, all the while sliming up the screen with my oily-chicken fingers. After eating I can simply wipe the screen onto my jeans & viola! the screen is clean. This is one of my favorite things about the new iPhone 3Gs!
Rene’s Pick: 1Password Pro
I’ve already picked 1Password, and explained the reasons why. Now I’m picking 1Password Pro for pretty much the same reasons I did last time but now with the added benefit of iPhone 3.0 enabled copy and paste goodness. Instead of using the in-app browser, you can still keep your passwords locked up safely and now just copy, switch to Mobile Safari, and paste them in. You can even use the enhanced javascript-based Mobile Safari integration to automate the transition process. And they promise more to come (check out the video how-to). Can’t wait. [$5.99 - iTunes link]
Your Pick?
You’re part of team TiPb too, so what’s your pick? What app was your absolute fav last week? Let us — and everyone — know in the comments!
June 27th, 2009 at 7:04 pm
Thinking about getting BeejiveIM but I read a few recent reviews saying the 3.0 with Push version is buggy. Anyone who’s downloaded and is using the app who can comment on this?
June 27th, 2009 at 7:12 pm
Every time I try to open Beejive after receiving a push IM, the loading throbber never goes away. No matter how long I let the app run, it never works and the badge on the icon never goes away either. The only way I can get it to run again is to reinstall it, but as soon as I get another push IM, it does the same thing again. So at least for now, I have to leave the best feature of an iPhone IM client (push) off.
June 27th, 2009 at 7:20 pm
I had to give up on BeeJive, it frustrated me for the last time today, uninstalled and out 15 bucks, oh well. Im back to the never buggy, always works, old fashioned IMs forwarded to my phone number when I sign off AIM or Yahoo, that just plain works.
June 27th, 2009 at 7:27 pm
Like Rene I also got 1password pro and the way it works rock, also planning on buying Gas Cubby but I don’t know if is worth $9.99, anyone?.
June 27th, 2009 at 7:33 pm
You should try IM+ I had it on my Palm Treo before I got my iPhone and I always liked it… I bought it when I first saw it in the app store but didn’t like it than… I have both it and beejive now and IM+ has been working with no problems since their push notification version came out… I’m liking it better than Beejive now.. not that when they are both working there is much difference between the two
June 27th, 2009 at 7:46 pm
it’s all about the oleophobic screen. ive used video recording once. I’ve used the screen cover multiple, multiple times. -lol- I guess it’s the feature, out of the new 3g s features, I use and like the most. that’s kinda sad, right?
June 27th, 2009 at 7:46 pm
@Muero, @Robb: That’s similar to what I read about the Push being buggy. If they’re gonna charge 15 bucks for a mobile IM client, if you ask me, they better darn well make sure it is flawless!
@ripjames: Yeah, all the bugs in BeejiveIM (not to mention the steep price) leads me to think that IM+ might be the better option. Now to wait and see if they reduce the price from $9.99…
June 27th, 2009 at 7:57 pm
I’d pick IM+. I’ve had no problems so far, and messages get pushed right away
June 27th, 2009 at 7:58 pm
You guys are not our $15, just wait and they’ll release updates and get it working correctly. The updates are free. Once you get the next update and it works you’ll have your IM that you paid $15 for.
June 27th, 2009 at 8:26 pm
BeeJiveIM push notifications is working pretty good on my old 3G but the application is a little buggy and crashes a lot if I try to change settings for each of my contacts. Other than that, push works like a charm.
@Robb Why don’t you try push notifications with the new/free (ad version) of AIM? Then you won’t have to use the old SMS text notification.
June 27th, 2009 at 10:00 pm
@Trock4u
Gas Cubby is a very, very nice app. I’d give it 5 stars. I think it was only $5 when I bought it, but I could be wrong. It’s very easy to use and also extremely useful. I’d recommend it, but I guess it’s up to you whether you want to spend $10 on it.
June 27th, 2009 at 10:40 pm
The Sirius app is MUCH better than PocketTunes. A few things you seem to be ignoring. 1) If you have an internet account, it will eventualy have to be the premium service (which is $3/mo). The service does not YET have Stern or a few other channels due to rights agreements. They will be worked out. As for PocketTunes and others offering Sirius, they are violating the Sirius use policies. Just a matter of time before PocketTunes gets shut down. I have both applications. PocketTunes works OK if you set it up, but the interface is horrendous.
June 27th, 2009 at 10:42 pm
Why would you use 1password when safari now stores usernames and passwords for you? Copy and paste them into safari? You’re kidding right?
June 28th, 2009 at 12:15 am
Beejive is great when it’s working. They had a few problems earlier this week but seems to be a bit more solid now. Also bought 1password despite not having a mac to sync with (well apart from a vmware mac anyway) and it’s pretty good but it’s nowhere near finished, a whole bunch of menus you can’t change as yet are just pictures of a menu thatbsrag up and down, I know it’s cheap until they add all the features they want but don’t half add stuff! That’s just stupid
June 28th, 2009 at 12:21 am
@egiscodr My only issue with the Sirus/XM App is the awful bitrate is stream at! To pay money to have, what? A 128 bit-rate, that’s no fun, especially for us audio people.
June 28th, 2009 at 12:25 am
@Jeff I disagree, while yes you’re correct, my concern was that if anyone got onto my iPhone, they could view these passwords, and thus other things- there’s not master password. I also like 1Pasword Pro, and they are also coming out with additional features, thus the only $1 increase in price currently
June 28th, 2009 at 2:40 am
IM+ is so much better than Beejive. Now has Push Twitter @replies and DirectMessages, plus seems to work so much faster. Your pushed IMs come through right away, without notice of the time. It just works.
June 28th, 2009 at 3:35 am
Forgive me for being thick but how have any of you guys got safari filling in paswords for you?
It’s all turned on and I’ll visit a site type in the needed U/Name, P/Word combo and surf ok, next time I visit the same site I expeced Safari ti fill in the U/Name, P/Word for me but nothing!
Tried a few different sites and I can’t get it to work, how do you guys get it to work for you or am I doing something wong?
Cheers from Blighty
Steve
June 28th, 2009 at 4:03 am
I’ve found my own answer (GYF) it appears that the sites themselves have to have some specific coding built in to help safari on its way.
No code – no autofill, so far I’ve only found Gmail offering it out of my ususal visits.
Steve
June 28th, 2009 at 4:23 am
@Steve UK: It truly is annoying that more and more website developers seem to be explicitly writing code that circumvents the “save password” feature on today’s browsers (do they really think that makes their websites more secure?).
@(All): Or, is this even the case? (My HTML knowledge is really, really rudimentary) Not sure… but it certainly feels a bit random when browsers (incl. Mobile Safari) are able to detect that you are entering a password on only certain web pages.
June 28th, 2009 at 5:05 am
I had seen a new app: iMathematics! Is really useful: it solve any math problem and have over than 500 formulas and theorems! When we can see a review?
June 28th, 2009 at 1:03 pm
Another vote for BeeJive. Push notification works great and they seem to have squashed a lot of the early bugs. I would like Twitter direct replies but hopefully that’s coming in a future update.
June 28th, 2009 at 11:21 pm
Beejive is the one! Perfect…at least with gtalk and MSN messenger…and I got for 9.99…perfect.
June 29th, 2009 at 12:56 am
Hey. Am I really missing something when it comes to the Oleophobic Screen on the iPhone 3gs? I’m on iPhone 3g and it also cleans with one wipe on my jeans. Don’t get me wrong I’m not trying to dis the new iPhone and screen I’m just trying to understand what’s the hoo ha?
June 29th, 2009 at 11:46 am
MLB at bat 2009 is an amazing app.. and keeps getting better, now letting you watch entire games.. If you’re a baseball fan.. its a must have.