iPhone Atlas

Barcode Reader leverages your iPhone 3GS camera for quick and easy price comparisons.

(Credit: SHAPE Services)

Bar code apps are all the rage these days, and with good reason: with one quick pass of your iPhone's camera, you can get all kinds of information about a product.

Joining the ranks of RedLaser, Pic2shop, and SnapTell, the aptly named Barcode Reader helps you compare prices, which is great for those times when you're out shopping and want to know if you can score a better deal online.

Using Barcode Reader couldn't be simpler: just tap "scan," then point your iPhone at the bar code for nearly any product. In mere seconds, it recognizes the code and fetches prices from any number of online vendors.

Of course, numerous other apps (including the aforementioned) do likewise, so why bother with Barcode Reader?

For one thing, it's free. (So are Pic2shop and SnapTell, but RedLaser costs $1.99.) What's more, I found it incredibly fast at recognizing bar codes (though the lack of some kind of progress meter or framing guide is a bit confusing at first).

It would be nice if the app could produce local results in addition to online prices (as SnapTell can), but I suppose beggars can't be choosers. SnapTell, for its part, makes scanning a bit more complex, and in my tests it didn't do a great job finding matches.

I should point out that Barcode Reader is optimized for iPhone 3GS; developer Shape Services says users of older iPhone models may need "additional gadgets" (like the Griffin Clarifi) to improve accuracy.

Anyone interested in the joys of bar-code scanning will want to test-drive the various apps for themselves. Barcode Reader may be just another entry in an increasingly crowded field, but it's a good one--and the price is right.

While you're at it, be sure to check out these related apps:

• iPhone app scans bar codes for health, enviro ratings
• iPhone app tracks your food intake by scanning bar codes
• iPhone app turns business cards into contacts
• QR code readers for your iPhone

Anyone who knows me knows that I'm a cheapskate. (I even have a blog that says so.) Needless to say, when it comes to buying games for my iPhone, I tend to choose titles that are free or supercheap.

In fact, my buying habits work like this: If a game I want costs 99 cents, I'll usually grab it without a second thought. If it's $1.99 or $2.99, I'll sometimes pull the trigger, though not without some hesitation. Anything that costs more, I rarely pony up for it.

Am I alone in this regard? To find out, I created this poll. Cast your vote, then read on for more discussion.

I suspect most people will choose, "It depends on the game." And, sure enough, some games offer relatively limited replay value, and therefore should be priced lower than games you're likely to play endlessly.

On the other hand, why should I balk at spending, $5 for an iPhone game that's every bit as good as a $50 PlayStation game? (PlayStation 2, anyway.) I'll drop five bucks for a Starbucks coffee and cookie, which last all of 10 minutes, but not on a game I might play for weeks. Why?

Maybe it's because I'm spoiled by all the great freebies, like Tap Tap Revenge 3, Unblock Me, and Traffic Rush. Or perhaps there's less perceived value in a game that runs on such a small screen.

The ways people use their iPhones are almost as diverse as the number of people using the device. Soon, you'll be able to add live TV to that list.

(Credit: Flo TV)

FLO TV and Mophie on Wednesday said at CES that they are partnering to develop a series of products that will bring live TV to the iPhone and iPod Touch. The products are expected to ship in the first half of 2010.

The FLO TV service allows users to tune into mobile broadcasts while on the go. The service boasts many of the largest networks including ABC, Fox, MTV, ESPN, NBC, TLC, CBS, CNBC, CNN, and many others.

The partnership with Mophie puts a FLO TV receiver into the company's iPhone and iPod Touch case products. That gives users protection for the device and built-in access to TV programs.

As mobile users know, video tends to drain the battery of devices much quicker than other uses like browsing the Web or checking e-mail. This is another advantage of the Mophie partnership. ... Read the full post at CNET's CES 2010 blog

No matter how much music you have on your iPhone or iPod Touch, sometimes you get bored with it or just want somebody else to drive.

That's the appeal of apps like Pandora and Slacker, which build personalized radio stations based on a particular artist, then let you customize those stations to various degrees.

A psychedelic nugget by the late great Syd Barrett, recommended by Effin Genius.

A new app called Effin Genius, from Seattle company Melodeo, takes a different approach: instead of forcing you to enter the name of an artist or musical genre--or anything at all--Effin Genius analyzes the playlists in the iTunes library on your iPhone or iPod Touch, then creates identically named playlists of other music it thinks you would like.

I tried it out last night. It took about 10 minutes to analyze the 3,000-plus songs on my Touch, but once the process was done, it came up with some pretty amazing playlists. For example, I have an playlist called "Psych," which contains rock and jazz songs that are a little noisy or abrasive, but not completely insane. For the most part, Effin Genius looked at the artists in that playlist and recommended other songs by them. The new Can and My Bloody Valentine songs alone made it worth listening to. Other good picks included guitar goddess Marnie Stern, a freak-folk song by Helio Sequence, and the always reliable Kings of Leon, none of which I own. If you really love a particular song, there's a link to buy it on iTunes.

Unfortunately it also included some horrible rap and hip-hop--including, hilariously, "U Can't Touch This" by Hammer--and '80s pop hits from Def Leppard and George Michael. I don't have those artists, or anybody like them, on this playlist, although I do have some Police and other '80s pop elsewhere on my iPod. Of course, any time a song comes up that you don't like, you can skip it and tell the app never to play it again. Presumably, Effin Genius learns more about your preferences over time and adjusts accordingly.

As is the case with other radio apps for iPhone, you can't go straight to a particular song on the playlist--you must listen in the order the songs are delivered--and you need an active Internet connection. The streaming worked great over my home Wi-Fi network.

Effin Genius, whose name is a take-off on the Genius feature introduced in iTunes 8, costs $1.99. That's not much, but it's more than Pandora and Slacker, which are free.

Overall, Effin Genius is an interesting take on the problem of what to do when you're bored with your own music collection. But I'll have to play with it a little more before I decide whether to remove Pandora.

(Credit: Apple)

Apple's App Store hit another milestone Tuesday, topping 3 billion downloads.

The store, which launched in July 2008 with just 500 applications, now offers more than 100,000 free and paid apps for the iPhone and iPod Touch.

Apple didn't break down how many of the downloaded apps were paid and how many were free, but the App Store does provide lists of its most popular apps in those categories.

The App Store reached the 1 billion download mark in April and the 2 billion mark in November.

The success of the App Store has forced other mobile companies to try to mimic its success. LG, Research In Motion, Nokia, Google, Palm and Microsoft all have their own stores or plan to open one.

So far, no one has been able to match the number of applications or downloads from Apple's store.

BMW's M Power app is actually quite useful.

(Credit: BMW)

BMW has launched the M Power iPhone app, the Bavarian automaker's second free application to promote its brand. However, unlike its previous offering, this app is actually sort of useful.

The M Power app measures vehicle acceleration using your iPhone's (or iPod Touch's) built-in accelerometer. After securing the iPhone (via a windshield mount or just tossing it in a cup holder), the app will measure 0-60 mph times other user-customizable speeds in mph or kph. The app will also measure forward and lateral G-forces for users who want to take a spin on a skidpad. Users can also unlock different skins on BMW's Web site to customize the look and feel of the app.

Although branded with the BMW M badge, the M Power app will work for any car that you can fit an iPhone into. Unlike my favorite paid iPhone accelerometer-based speed computer, Dynolicious, BMW's app doesn't look like it will calculate your vehicle's horsepower or torque. But at the low cost of "free," the M Power app is a hard bargain to turn down.

Check out the BMW M Power app in the iTunes App Store.

If you've been wanting to test-drive an iPhone navigation app but didn't want to invest $34.99 on CoPilot Live, $49.99 on TomTom U.S.A., or $59.99 MobileNavigator, here's good news: Now you can get Gokivo GPS Navigator for just 99 cents (iTunes link).

Just to clarify, that 99 cents buys you 30 days' worth of navigation (complete with real-time traffic). After that, Gokivo will cost you $4.99 per month or $39.99 if you pay annually (a considerable savings).

It will cost you more over the long haul than a flat-rate app like CoPilot or MobileNavigator, but Gokivo might be a more attractive option for infrequent drivers--since there's no contract, no commitment.

If you're like me and only occasionally need turn-by-turn navigation assistance, you can, literally, pay as you go. Gokivo now supports in-app transactions, so if you're leaving for a road trip or happen to get lost somewhere, just tap out $4.99 and presto: You've got another month of GPS.

If you want to learn about the app's navigation acumen, read Dong Ngo's recent comparison of Gokivo and MapQuest (another subscription-based solution).

But I think with an entry point of just 99 cents and the option of paying five bucks whenever you want 30 days of traffic-enhanced navigation, Gokivo is hard to beat.

What's your favorite GPS app? Do you prefer the flat-rate offerings or a subscription option like this one? Share your thoughts in the comments.

A new Nokia device to lead the way in 2010?

(Credit: Nokia)

Nokia is a rather interesting company. The firm is still a major player in the mobile space, holding on to the largest share of the market. But 2009 was a difficult year for Nokia as its grip on the space continued to slip.

Worst of all, Apple's iPhone and RIM's BlackBerry models have made Nokia devices look old and obsolete.

Perhaps that's why the company's new mobile chief, Rick Simonson, decided to speak with the India Times on Monday to clear the air. Simonson acknowledges that things aren't great, but he's not willing to throw in the towel.

"Yes, we have lost ground in the smartphone space over the past 18 months, but the decline has stopped and stablized in the second and third quarters of 2009," Simonson told the India Times. "The new year will see [our] recovery in smartphones with the introduction of Maemo and the stabilization of the Symbian operating system, which by the way, continues to be the platform for the largest number of smartphones, globally."

Simonson went on to say that Nokia shipped over 200 million smartphones in 2009. The main problem for Nokia, Simonson said, is that it's "not well positioned in North America, which is a huge market."

But his company has a plan.

N.O.V.A. for iPhone looks and plays like a certain console classic.

(Credit: Gameloft)

Will we ever see Halo for iPhone? Let me be the first to say: who cares? We've got N.O.V.A.

Short for Near Orbit Vanguard Alliance (as if that matters), Gameloft's first-person shooter borrows heavily from the Halo playbook.

You're the sometimes solo, sometimes squad-based hero out to save mankind from the alien threat du jour. The game's 13 single-player missions span five environments (from bunker to jungle to spacecraft), each one dripping in console-quality graphic goodness.

An excellent tutorial acclimates you to the controls, which are always a challenge for any iPhone/iPod Touch shooter, but here are some of the best I've seen. Dip into the settings and you can choose from three control schemes or manually arrange the onscreen d-pad, fire button, and other controls exactly how you like them. Nice.

If you like kicking alien butt, you'll love N.O.V.A.

(Credit: Gameloft)

Once you've exhausted the single-player campaign, you can engage in two- to four-player deathmatches--either locally or online. (One small gripe: online play requires a Wi-Fi connection, so you can't get your frag on just anywhere.)

I could say more about the game, but I really don't want to spoil the fun of discovering it on your own. N.O.V.A. really is something special (and that's saying something in a year chock full of special games). Don't take my word alone: the Download Blog's Jason Parker named N.O.V.A. one of the 17 best iPhone games of 2009.

How would you rank N.O.V.A. among first-person shooters for the iPhone? Is it better than Modern Combat: Sandstorm? Better than Call of Duty: World at War: Zombies? Share your FPS faves in the comments!