AviatorApps

Apps Added & Default Sort Updated - 07.16.10

Brad — Fri, 16 Jul 2010 18:04:47 +0000

I added a few apps to the list today, and while I normally list the new apps here in the news feed, I am no longer going to do that. Instead, I made a change to the list’s default sort behavior so that it now shows the most recently added apps on top. Prior to this change the list presenting itself in alphabetical order (by App Name), but now you will see the most recently added apps on top, with the batch of apps added on a particular date sorted alphabetically. In other words, the nine apps I added today will all appear at the top of the list by default, sorted alphabetically by name. I think this will prove to be useful as it will allow you to quickly see the most recently added apps without the need to resort the list.

This default sort change has created one small issue where if you select price as the sort parameter, the list will sort with the most expensive on top (descending). For the time being you’ll just have to select “ascending” after you’ve selected price if you want to see the Free apps on top.

PS - I know there are more apps to be added, and I am working on it.

Where are the updates?

Brad — Thu, 01 Jul 2010 21:34:48 +0000

Sorry for the lack of updates. I’ve had a really busy month at work combined with a bit of travel, but enough with the excuses. I’m going to try to have an update pushed out within the next few days.

Oh, then there is the new iPhone and iOS 4 to talk about.

Apps Added - 05.17.10

Brad — Tue, 18 May 2010 05:41:44 +0000

A short update, with a few new apps added and new iPad versions of several current apps.

AINonline (iPhone)
AvCharts (iPad)
FAR/AIM (iPhone)
FAR/AIM Flashcards (iPhone/iPad)
iBreifing (iPad version)
iPSTAR (iPad version)
U.S. NEXRAD RADAR HD for iPad (iPad)

Sort and Filter Behavior Changed

Brad — Tue, 18 May 2010 05:12:54 +0000

In addition to posting a small list update tonight, I made a few small changes to the sort and filter selections. Now, when you make a parameter change (select a sort and/or filter), the list will automatically update without the need to press the “Apply” button. In fact, I’ve gone a step further and changed the “Apply” button to a “Reset” button, which can be clicked to return the list to it’s default view. I’m sure this won’t confuse anybody.

Speaking of default views… It’s been suggested that the list would be more useful if it were sorted with the most recently listed apps on top by default. What do you think; how would you like to see the list sorted, by name or by date listed? Vote by leaving a comment below.

Weekly News Bits

Brad — Wed, 12 May 2010 22:45:28 +0000

Please excuse the lack of updates, but I put a lot of time into the site in the month of April and I’ve been playing catch-up with several other projects. I’m currently working on a list update which should be posted in a few days, but in the meantime here are a few news worthy items.

Aviation Mentor, John Ewing, has posted several great articles about the iPad on his blog. John is quickly becoming an iPad-Aviation expert and has even produced videos about SkyCharts Pro and the iPad as an EFB.
Unforntunately, it looks like we will be stuck with AT&T until 2012.
John Stewart of the Daily Show had some comments about Apple.

How-to: Wi-fi iPad on Verizon’s Data Network

Brad — Thu, 22 Apr 2010 18:59:29 +0000

So you’ve got a wi-fi only iPad, or any other wi-fi device, and you want to connect to the Internet while away from home or your nearest wi-fi hotspot. You can actually do it now, and you don’t need to upgrade to the soon to be released iPad with 3G.

The solution is simple… you become your own Wi-Fi hotspot. Yup, all you need is a MiFi from Verizon and you can instantly become your own mobile wi-fi hotspot. The MiFi is a tiny portable battery-powered wi-fi hotspot that allows you to connect multiple wi-fi devices at a time and provides Internet access over Verizon’s Wireless Network. Charge it up, throw it in your pocket and you could be walking down the street surfing the net or answering emails on your iPad, and you can even share your hot-spot with your friends.

The good news is that this will allow you to connect all your wi-fi enabled devices, not just an iPad, and that since it’s on the Verizon network coverage is good (IMHO, a lot better than AT&T*). The bad news is that it is a more expensive than AT&T’s all-you-can-eat data service which will be offer to iPad 3G owners, but again it allows you to connect multiple devices not just the iPad. This might be a great solution for those who travel for work and tire of paying $15 a day or more for connectivity at a hotel.

I do not own an iPad and I do not have a MiFi from Verizon, so I can’t tell you first hand that it works. All I can say is that I have heard that the combination is working great for some people. As usual, your milage may vary.

* For personal use I have an iPhone (AT&T), but I also have Blackberry (on Verizon) for work. I say that Verizon’s coverage is better simply because I go a lot of places where I have weak or no coverage on my iPhone, but a strong signal on my Blackberry… enuf said!

Could this be the NEW iPhone?

Brad — Tue, 20 Apr 2010 19:26:40 +0000

Tech and gadget news (or rumor) site Gizmodo is reporting that they have uncovered the next generation iPhone. It’s a story that involves an Apple engineer, a top-secret prototype device, a local watering hole and probably more than a few brewed beverages.

Knowing how tight-lipped Apple is about their new products this all sounds almost too strange to be true, however I find the pictures of this magical new device, and the now almost comical story of Apple requesting its return, to be fairly compelling evidence of its actual existence.

So the big question I have is… will it work on Verizon’s network?

iPhone 4.0 OS… hot or not?

Brad — Thu, 15 Apr 2010 22:32:46 +0000

This is a slightly old news, but still worth a mention.

On April 8th Apple previewed it’s new iPhone OS 4 to the world, which at first glance appears to contains many new and exciting features such as Multitasking, App Folders, Wallpapers, Enhanced Email, a Game Center and more.

Now before you get too excited there’s a catch; While iPhone 3G users will be able to upgrade their phones to the new OS, not all the features will be available, namely Multitasking. Those of you with an iPhone 3GS have no fear, you’ll get your Multitasking and more, it’s just us lowly 3G and 1st-Gen iPhone users that won’t. Sigh.

As a 3G owner I was a bit disappointed when I read this, while app folders are useful and wallpapers are neat, I REALLY desire multitasking. I’m sure that Apple will tell us that the processor or memory in the 3G isn’t capable of supporting multitasking, and they are only just protecting us from encountering crashes or performance issues, and perhaps that is the case, but the paranoid part of my brain is telling me that this is just Apple’s way of encouraging us to upgrade our phones. Maybe that is Apple’s strategy, but my phone isn’t even two years old and I can’t help but feel a little jipped.

Now all of this may be moot (for me) when the next version of the iPhone hardware is released. And what killer-feature would make me upgrade? One word… Verizon!

Web Apps now in main Apps List

Brad — Thu, 15 Apr 2010 18:33:51 +0000

I’ve now incorporated the Web Apps into the main Apps List, assigning them to their own category (Web Apps) in the process. In fact, here’s a shortcut to just the Web Apps.

What are Web Apps and why are they different than regular apps? They are web-based apps that run in Safari rather than something that needs to be downloaded from the app store and installed. In the Apps List, when you click on the links for a Web App, Safari will open and you will automatically directed to that site which you can then bookmark or add to one of your home screens (to give it an icon like an regular app).

Many web sites have mobile versions, but my criteria for listing something as a Web App is that it must be styled or optimized for the iPhone. For example, if you point your iPhone’s web browser to http://weathermeister.com/ you’ll find that our friends at Weathermeister have provided us with a page that is optimized for the iPhone’s screen. In fact, the AviatorApps news feed (which you are reading right now), contains an iPhone optimized style that will display only when accessed from the iPhone.

As always, let me know if you have any comments or suggestions.

Apps Added - 04.13.10

Brad — Wed, 14 Apr 2010 17:59:56 +0000

A few more apps added to the list today. While the GoodReader apps are not Aviation specific apps, they can be very useful for displaying Charts and Maps downloaded in PDF format.

Fli-Quote (iPhone)
GoodReader (large PDF viewer) - read big PDF files with reflow (iPhone)
GoodReader for iPad (iPad)
GoodReader Lite for iPhone (iPhone)