My Palm LifeDrive finally kicked the bucket and I made the jump to an iPhone 3GS at the end of 2009.
For the most part I love the thing, and I love it even more because I got Becky one too and unlike with her Palm, she took to it like a duck
There doesn't seem to be as much of a culture of sharing app usage as there was for Palm, but since I had a table of apps that were on my Palm I thought I'd reproduce it here and highlight what iOS apps I'm using for equivalent purposes. And what ones I haven't found a replacement for.
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| Palm App Name | Palm App Description | iOS App Name | iOS App Description |
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| AlbumToGo | Photo album application. Now that I'm using an 8mb Palm I have enough room for this sort of thing. Comes with a little application for converting graphic files of standard formats into the format used by the program. Has a slide show feature and actually renders the images pretty clearly considering the resolution limitations on the tiny palm screen. | Photos (builtin) | That Palm description really highlights what a pain images used to be on pocket computers. With the integrated camera, of course, the iPhone just works. I've got a plethora of camera and image manipulation apps on my phone that get varying levels of use here in order by how often I use them: Camera+, 8mm, Pro HDR, Instagram, Jittergram, Cinemagram a bunch more that I never open anymore. |
| Arranger | Arranger is a really cool outlining app. Visually an outline looks kind of like the directory view on Windows Explorer with the boxes with +/- to indicate opened/collapsed branches. Entry is by a double-tap on the item which pops up a notepad-like editor. The first line shows in the outline with an optional arrow showing that more text is available. Supports two different numbering styles and todo-style check boxes. Arranger supports export to notepad in both plain text with space or tab indenting, or in html. It's also possible to include links to entries in the built-in apps (address, datebook, expense, memo, todo). No provision for editing outlines on a desktop system except via export to the memopad. | Notesy | I'm sure there are outliners for iOS, but I haven't missed Arranger so I just use Notesy for this. With its dropbox-backed storage it's a super-convenient way to keep notes on my phone that are available on my other comptuers as well. |
| BigClock | Way cool clock and timer and alarm with the ability to define your own alarm sounds (which can seem way louder than the basic system alarm sounds). This is my kitchen timer for cookies and other repetetive timing tasks. Also has BIG time/date display making the Palm a reasonable timepiece. Great stuff. | Clock (builtin) | I have fond memories of BigClock, but Apple did a perfectly adequate job on their builtin clock app |
| Datebk3 | A feature-rich semi-backwards-compatible replacement for the built-in Palm date book app. Huge but mostly worth it. There is a datebk4 with even more features. | Google calendar web app and Agenda | I don't like the builtin calendar on the iPhone at all. We've been using google calendar for our date-keeping needs for years now and their mobile web app works just fine in Safari on the iPhone. The Agenda app is pretty, but doesn't really add much functionality |
| DiddleBug | Quick note jot app. Works like a post-it note on which you can just scribble a note (not grafitti) to be transcribed later. 2.0 adds the ability to create a todo or datebook entry directly from the tool so converting your scribble to something useful is easier. | n/a | I didn't use diddlebug all that much on my palm and haven't found a need for a replacement on the iPhone. |
| iSilo | Very cool HTML/DOC reader. Has desktop app to download web pages or PC files with the ability to include or exclude images. Compression is pretty good. I'm syncing my homepage as well as the palm version of The New York Times. | Safari | With pretty fast access to the cloud on the device, need for a web cache pretty much evaporated. When I do need cached pages I use Instapaper. I kinda used this as an ebook reader equivalent back in the day. For ebooks, since Amazon bought and murdered the wonderful Stanza I've settled on MegaReader. Also use the Kindle app for ebooks from the library. |
| List | Minimalist database engine. Supports two-field databases with an additional note for each record and categories for each database. Includes a DOS program for converting comma-separated files into databases for syncing. There's also a Windows app to view and edit databases. I've loaded my CD list into it. I keep track of movies I want to see and movies I have seen. I have started listing all my books (SF is done, the rest to follow). Excellent tool. | ??????? | I miss List sooooooo much. It's kind of amazing how useful it was. I might have to learn how to write iOS apps just to recreate this tool. I'm amazed no one seems to have done it already. I used HanDBase for a while but had a database get corrupted and lost my faith in it. |
| Showtimes | A palm app and a perl script. The script downloads movie times and theatre information off the web and turns them into .pdb's that the app can read. The app lets you pick which theatre you want info for and lists the movies and times for that theatre or given a movie, tells you what theatres are showing it at what times. Totally cool. I've got 6 days worth of info for the three closest theatres to me in 5k above the 22k of the app itself. | IMDB | The IMDB app is one of my favorite and most-used iPhone apps even apart from theater time info. |
| Strip |
Gadget for securely (for some definition of secure)
storing password information. Works okay, and it's
cheap.
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1Password | I bought 1Password based on rave reviews from various internet nerds. Frankly it's only okay. The password capturing is inferior to that in any modern web browser. Just a really clumsy process. |
| ToDo PLUS | Enhanced version of the builtin Todo list. Adds repeats, filtering by due date, alarms, drawings. | Toodledo | There are a million todo apps for iOS, but Toodledo most closely matches what I laughingly call my "workflow" and it's in the cloud so I can access it from computers and phone. |
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| Palm App Name | Palm App Description | iOS App Name | iOS App Description |
| ATool! | A bunch of little utility widgets including battery life stuff. The ability to check whether the serial port is open and close it if so is nice It also has the ability to set the auto-off time to 45 or 30 seconds as well as in large and small numbers of minutes (up to 480!). And in case you can't make decisions, there's the coin toss feature ;-) | n/a | not needed |
| DBiced | Icon editor for Datebk3 appointment icons. | n/a | not needed |
| Fitaly Hack |
Alternative to the stock
keyboard under the abc dot on the grafitti pad.
Letters are clustered around a central area
organized by frequency of use and common companion
letters. Sort of a Dvorak layout for one-finger
typists. It's taking me a while to get used to it,
but already I can enter text as fast on this as by
grafitti. I think with practice it would be pretty
fast. I waffled about this one for a while, but after finally seeing the GoType keyboard in person and finding out that it's way too tiny for my big paws, this looks like my best bet for high-speed accurate data entry. Maybe one of these days I'll throw out the bucks ($199) for the Twiddler chording keyboard, but for now Fitaly is my friend. Addendum 1/25/03: I actually tried a Twiddler last year. I didn't like it at all. If you want to know more about my experience with it, you know what to do. |
??????? | Oh, what I wouldn't give for Fitaly for iOS. I suspect this kind of mucking with the default input mechanisms of the device will never be possible. If it got ported to Android I'd be sorely tempted to switch (probably wouldn't, but would be tempted) |
| LauncherIII | Replacement for the stock application launcher. Gives index tabs for categories so you can just tap to see a different category. Also adds a more functional battery graph that will also show current voltage, current memory usage and a memory graph. Works great, but when your folders get too wide for the screen it adds a scrolling widget instead of doing two rows ala the standard index tab metaphor. | n/a | not needed |
| Z'Catalog | Utility for examining what files are actually stored in your Palm memory. Also lets you delete stuff, but I just use the memory app for that. Also lets you copy the list of files to allow exporting the list to memopad which made creating this page a lot easier. | n/a | Haven't needed such a thing for iOS |
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| Palm App Name | Palm App Description | iOS App Name | iOS App Description |
| AppHack | Allows remapping the hard keys, and using all the hard keys as two-button sequences giving a total of 24 apps accessible via hard keys instead of only 4. If you can remember the combinations. It does pop up a reference showing what app the different keys will take you to. Sometimes doesn't hear the second key hit when the first is given with the Palm off. | n/a | With only one hardkey this isn't really practical |
| CaseToggleHack | Lets you change the capitalization of words by tapping on them. The interface is nice, but takes some getting used to. Added bonus of giving multi-tap selection of words/sentences/sections. | n/a | This was a great time saver and would be useful for iOS, but probably impossible |
| DateFormatHack | Makes single-digit numbers in dates and times show up as 01 instead of 1. Helps if you're using the Y/M/D format to get sortable dates using shortcut-ds or shortcut-dts. | n/a | Would be useful. Might be able to get this functionality from TextExpander where it's supported |
| FlipHack | I keep this around to go with iSilo which is a fine doc/html reader except I miss being able to rotate the screen ala CSpotRun. | n/a | Not needed |
| HackDelete Hack | Keeps you from deleting or overwriting active hacks. | n/a | Not needed |
| HackMaster | Manages system patches (hacks) for minimal interaction woes. | n/a | I guess this is akin to the jailbreak world, but I haven't bothered to explore that |
| SwitchHack | Lets you flip back and forth between two apps with a stylus stroke. Also gives a pop-up menu of most-recently-used apps for quick jumping. | n/a | double-tap the home button essentially duplicates this functionality |
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| Palm App Name | Palm App Description | iOS App Name | iOS App Description |
| Hardball | Comes with the palm. Breakout clone. | n/a | Never a huge fan of this game |
| MahJongg | Nice grayscale version of the tile matching game. Doesn't have the "traditional" tile layout, but has a bunch of new ones that are fun. | n/a | So many better games on iPhone that I haven't bothered loading a mahjongg |
| Pyramid | Solitaire card game where you lay out cards in a pyramid and take off cards that total 13. I have played this in real life and am currently addicted to playing it on the Palm. Kinda big for what it is. | n/a | So many better games on iPhone that I haven't bothered looking for this |
| Shisensho | Now I have this game for Windoze, X, and Palm. Tile matching game using Mahjongg tiles. | n/a | So many better games on iPhone that I haven't bothered looking for this |
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| Palm App Name | Palm App Description | iOS App Name | iOS App Description |
| BackupBuddy | Supplements hotsync with smart backups of third party tools and their databases (the desktop sync by default doesn't necessarily backup third party stuff, and definitely doesn't *delete* stuff from the backup that's no longer on your Palm (at least in the version I'm running)) Works great, I've recovered from a hard reset with essentially no data lost. | n/a | Wow, I paid $30 for this back in the day. iTunes sync has been adequate for me. Most of my data is in the cloud anymore so not so worried about backups of the phone. |
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| Palm App Name | Palm App Description | iOS App Name | iOS App Description |
| Happy Hacking Cradle |
I can't find a US distributor for this anymore. Google for Happy Hacking Cradle and you just get a couple of japanese language sites :-( Mine's NOT for sale! This is the coolest thing. It's a little box that opens up to reveal a stand in which you place your Palm just like with the hotsync cradle. You can plug any PS/2 keyboard into the side of the cradle, and with the included software loaded on your Palm you can type directly into the Palm. Beats the heck out of the GoType with it's tiny cramped keys. I also bought the Happy Hacking Keyboard Lite which is a keyboard without function keys or cursor keys or a numeric keypad--just the qwerty keys. It's about the size of the palm and the folded cradle laid end to end and works great for extended text entry. Highly recommended.The version number and size above refer to the driver software. |
??????? | I think there is a good opportunity for somebody to build a box that makes any usb keyboard into a bluetooth keyboard. It seems I'm in the minority for not being willing to use just any old crappy keyboard-shaped device to type on. |
| PDA Panache Deluxe Stylus | Replacement stylus. Mine is silver chrome with a bright orange tip. Feels much nicer in the hand and having paid some money for the thing makes me less likely to leave it lying around. Doesn't seem as prone to scratching the screen as the stock stylus. | Cosmonaut | The cosmonaut is okay, but the iPhone is good enough at tracking my fingers and guessing what I meant that I don't use it very much. Probably will more when we get an iPad. |
Then there's apps that have no analogue in the Palm world.
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| iOS App Name | iOS App Description | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| OneBusAway | Fabulous bus tracking app for Seattle-area transit agencies | ||
| Evernote | Rich-featured note taking app. I barely scratch the surface of what this can do. | ||
| Sleep Cycle | Uses the accelerometer to tell how deeply you're sleeping and wakes you up when you're high in your cycle. Graphs your night's sleep too. | ||
| Tumblr | Terrible, terrible app, but it's still better than the mobile website. | ||
| Goodreads | Passable interface to the website | ||
| Wikipanion | Passable interface to wikipedia. Mobile website is just as good, frankly. | ||
| Reeder | RSS feed reader. Pretty good, but I read enough feeds that I need to react to with other tools that I generally don't use this in preference to using google reader directly on my desktop. | ||
| Jetpack Joyride | Silly little side-scrolling runner game. Lots of achievements to keep you playing. | ||
| Words With Friends | Scrabble clone. Terrible app, but it's what my friends use. | ||
| Draw Something | Pictionary. Kind of fun even if, like me, you can't draw for shit. | ||
| Sword of Fargoal | Amusing dungeon crawler. | ||
| Star Walk | Realtime heads-up display of the heavens. Like magic. | ||
| Cowbell Plus | Simulated percussion instruments. Need an amplifier to play for real, but it's cute. | ||
| Craigslist+ | Great tool for using Craigslist | ||
| 100 Rogues | Another amusing dungeon crawler | ||