Apps

How to Turn Your iPhone Into A Wifi Hotspot

I've always been a big fan of iPhone tethering, which has saved my butt a few times, especially during my travels. Today, a blog reader by the name of DarkN sent me a really nice tip about MyWi, a jailbreak app that allows you to both tether your iPhone AND create a Wifi Hotspot so you can share your Internet connection with computers around you.

This has to be the most useful app I've seen in quite a while. I had heard about MyWi before but I thought it was only an app to tether your iPhone so I didn't even look at it. But being able to use your iPhone as a wireless hotspot is just amazing!

If you can't see the benefits of using your iPhone as a wireless router, then let me give you an example. My fiancee and I are currently in Thailand. Unfortunately our hotel doesn't offer wifi. I do however have a local SIM card and a data plan which I use to tether my iPhone. By creating a wifi hotspot with my iPhone, I literally turn it into a modem/wifi router and my fiancee can now connect to the internet with her iPod Touch.

How to Turn Your iPhone Into A Wireless Router

Step 1: Make sure your iPhone is jailbroken and that it is running at least OS 3.0.

Step 2: Launch Cydia and search for "MyWi". If you don't have Rock installed on your iPhone and you don't want it, choose the "MyWi (no Rock)" version.

Step 3: Purchase ($9.99) and install MyWi then reboot your iPhone.

Step 4: Launch MyWi and tweak the settings to your liking:

Change the hotspot name Change the channel Enable Wep security Enable USB/Bluetooth tethering

That's it. You should now be able to use your iPhone as a modem and share your internet connection with other computers or iPods around you.

Note that using your iPhone as a wifi router is an absolute battery killer. Make sure it is plugged in so you don't run out of juice in just a few minutes.

AndroidLock: A Better LockScreen to Protect Your iPhone

There are several ways to protect your iPhone by restricting access to it from the lockscreen. You can use the stock feature that allows you to set a password containing 4 numbers. You can use this hack to add an alphanumeric password, or you can use AndroidLock.

AndroidLock is a new application available in Cydia that brings Android's lockscreen protection to the iPhone. After installing the app, you have to activate it in the Settings.app. To do so, you first have to create a pattern and save it. Then, in order to unlock your iPhone, you have to connect the dots according to the pattern that you previously created.

On the example above, I have to go from bottom left to top right, then top right to top left, then top left to bottom right, in order to unlock the iPhone and gain access to the springboard. Obviously, you don't see the pattern until you have completed it.

I do think it's a great alternative to setting an alphanumeric password. However, the downside for me is that I can't really see the picture of iVan the dog anymore, which is the picture I have on my lockscreen.

As I am traveling quite a bit these days, thus increasing my chances of losing my iPhone, I have set AndroiLock to protect it. I created a simple unlock pattern that doesn't make it a pain in the butt for me to do, but it makes it very hard for a potential thief to figure out. That won't protect me from losing or having my iPhone stolen, but at least it won't be easy to access the data on it.

What do you think? It's a pretty nice mod, isn't it?

ContactFlow Brings Coverflow to Your Contacts

Those of you who have a jailbroken iPhone will probably remember ContactFlow [iTunes Link], the jailbreak app that brought coverflow-style management to your contacts. Turns out that the dev decided to go legit and removed ContactFlow from Cydia to submit it to the App Store.

When you launch ContactFlow, you have access to all your contacts. Just tap on a contact to flip the picture and display associated numbers and e-mails. By selecting a number, ContactFlow will simply call your contact. The SMS icon automatically send you to the SMS application. By the same way, in ContactFlow, selecting an e-mail will send you where you can write a new e-mail.

ContactFlow is available from the App Store for free for a limited time, so get it while you can. In the meantime, have a look at this video demo to see ContactFlow in action.

Add Unlimited Icons to Your iPhone Dock With InfiniDock

Forget about the 5-icon dock tweak... InfiniDock is a new application available in Cydia that lets you add an unlimited amount of apps in your dock and make them easily scrollable, just like you scroll through your pages of apps on your springboard.

InfiniDock was developped by Chpwn and just like the ProSwitcher app, I think this is a simple but powerful tweak that Apple will most likely look at and implement in iPhone OS 4.0.

I'm glad to see that there are some developers out there like Chpwn. New releases in Cydia have been pretty boring lately. There sure are a bunch of themes and wallpapers, but not so many useful apps.

I first heard about InfiniDock about a week ago but I didn't give it a try until I read some of the comments made by a few of you on my post about how many apps you have in your iPhone dock.

If you haven't tried it yet, launch Cydia and look for InfiniDock. You can download it from Cydia for $0.99. Well worth the money if you want my opinion.

Have you tried it yet? What do you think?

What Apps Do You Have On Your iPhone Dock?

Tell me what you have on your dock and I'll tell you who you are...

The apps you have on your dock can tell a lot about your iPhone usage. As you can see, my dock is pretty standard. I have the mail app, Tweetie 2, Byline and Safari. These are the apps I use the most.

You'll notice that my phone.app is not even there. That's because I rarely make calls. I've come to realize that what I like the most about my iPhone, it's the " i ", not so much the "phone".

What apps do you have in your dock? Why did you choose these?

10 Jailbreak Apps for iPhone to Boost Your Productivity

You thought your iPhone could do just about anything? Think again! I handpicked 10 applications for jailbroken iPhones that will boost your productivity and unleash the real potential of the iPhone. You won't find these applications in the App Store. You'll have to jailbreak your iPhone in order to install any these apps.

If you don't have these apps on your iPhone, you're missing out on 10 must-have features.

Xpandr

Xpandr is a shortcut expander for the iPhone / iPod touch. It allows you to define an unlimited number of shortcuts to save time and make your life easier. It works in every application, even on App Store applications. More about Xpandr.

ProSwitcher

ProSwitcher is a multitasking app for the iPhone that kinda replicates the Palm Pre “cards” feature by adding a very nice UI to Backrounder, the jailbreak app that allows you to run apps in the background. More about ProSwitcher.

AttachmentSaver

AttachmentSaver gives you the ability to download attachments of all types, whether supported by the Mail.app or not, and save them into a folder on your iPhone disk. More about AttachmentSaver.

Find in Page

Find In Page is an application that will help you find any text on any web page in Safari. Now every time you visit a page in Safari and you’re looking for a specific word, simply open your bookmarks and tap “Find In Page”. More about Find in Page.

mQuickDo

Originally, mQuickDo lets you set up gestures to perform predefined actions (ie. slide left to right to close an opened application; or slide right to left to shut off the phone, etc…). The real power and most exciting feature about mQuickDo is the App Switcher. As its name suggests, the app switcher allows you to quickly switch between apps. More about mQuickDo.

QuickScroll

QuickScroll is an application available in Cydia that lets you scroll through documents and web pages very quickly. Once you have installed QuickScroll, simply tap 3 times anywhere on the page and a dialog will show up. Drag the scroller (see on the right of the image above) up and down to quickly go wherever you want on the page. More about QuickScroll.

GriP - Growl for iPhone

GriP tries to strike a balance between being unobstructive while still being able to give out clear information. With GriP, messages are (by default) shown as small floating windows in a corner, which will automatically disappear if you ignore it. In this way, you can still continue your process without missing anything. More about GriP.

Orbit

Orbit brings you an instant way to switch between pages on your home screen. Based on the “iPhone Expose” concept, this modification gives you an icon that, when tapped, animates your home page into Orbit. More about Orbit.

Action Menu

Action Menu is one of those mods that once you try it, you simply can’t live without it anymore. Action Menu takes a stab at enhancing the copy/paste function of your iPhone by adding a bunch of add-ons to it. More about Action Menu.

MultiIconMover

This app is very simple yet very practical. It allows you to select multiple icons to move them to a different page on your springboard. So instead of moving your icons one at a time, you can select many of them and move them all at once wherever you want. More about MultiIconMover.

I wouldn't be surprised if Apple implemented some of these applications' features in the next iPhone OS.

How to Set Any Song On Your iPhone As A Ringtone

AnyRing is a jailbreak application available in Cydia that lets you use any song on your iPhone as a custom ringtone or SMS ring.

There are several ways to add ringtones to your iPhone for free. Audiko is one of my favorite but it seems it's going to get some fierce competition from a new app called AnyRing.

With AnyRing (3.2) you can easily select any song on your iPhone (or Record you own voice) to play as a Ringtone or SMS Ring. AnyRing even lets you select the starting/ending point in the song to play when the Ringtone is played. Does not require any audio conversion of any type!

Here are some of the features:

Select any song on your device to act as a Ringtone. No Audio/File conversion needed. Select start and ending point in song to play as Ringtone. Easy to use interface.

AnyRing is available from the Cydia Store. It comes with a 10-day trial so you may want to try it out first, and if you like it, you can choose to pay the $3.99.

I think it's worth the price. What do you think?

Make Your iPhone Go Round With WindowPlaner

Wanna give a rounded look to your iPhone? There's a jailbreak app for that! It's called WindowPlaner and it will help you make your iPhone look a little bit more like the Palm Pre.

As you can see on this image, WindowPlaner simply makes the edges of your iPhone screen a little smoother by rounding them out.

It's definitely not a break-through app, but it's always nice to have new tweak for our favorite device, isn't it?

Have you tried it yet? Share your thoughts in the comments.

iPhone App Giveaway: 5 Copies of Pro Surfing to Win

The developers of the Pro Surfing game for iPhone and iPod Touch were so stoked to make it in my list of 45 favorite apps that they decided to give a few copies to iDB readers!

How Can You Win?

Pretty simple:

First, retweet this post on Twitter (see RT buttons at the top and bottom of this article) Write a comment on this page and tell us who your favorite surfer is and why. Make sure you leave your Twitter username in your comment because that's how winners will be notified.

Restrictions? Yes unfortunately this giveaway is only available to people in the US. Don't ask me why! That's a stupid restriction from Apple.

I'm traveling a lot lately but I'll do my best to notify the winners by Monday night.

Good luck, bra :)

UPDATE: Congrats to the winners of the Pro Surfing iPhone app @inthepit @seaslate @samaritan88 @Larissa_chaja @WilliamAleman Check your DM :)

45 Applications That Will Be On My iPhone Next Year

A couple weeks ago I wrote about the top 40 iPhone apps of 2009 in the App Store. This article got quite a bit of success (especially on Twitter) and a few of you asked me what where my favorite iPhone apps of 2009.

I've had many apps come and go this year so I guess the best way to tell what my favorites are is to tell you the one I will keep with me for next year.

Facebook - Need I say more? Indispensable if you have a Facebook account (note: you may want to join our Facebook page).

Byline - This is to me the best RSS reader for iPhone. Fast and easy!

Flight Control - My favorite iPhone game. Ever! It's fun and addicting. My best score is 357 planes landed. Can you do better?

Bejeweled 2 - My fiancée turned me on this game. I used to play it a lot but I got over it.

Tap Tap Revenge 3 - I just downloaded it as it was free for a limited time. I drive my fiancée crazy with it because I always play the same song (Tap Tap DomiNation by Stroke 9).

Pro Surfing - If you're into surfing, this game is a must-have. Very fun and well done. Last time I checked, I was #3 in the world!

Surf by Wavewatch - A great app for surfers. Gives you reports about pretty much any wave in the world. Even better, you get live cams of the spots when available!

Surf Report - Yet another surf report app. Not as fancy as Surf by Wavewatch but it does the job very well.

Wordpress - I love WordPress as a blogging platform but the version 2 of their app is pathetically useless. It's buggy, crashes all the time and provides very little features. Yet it's still on my iPhone "just in case" they update it and make it a better app.

Tweetie 2 - The best Twitter app for iPhone to me, despite the fact it lacks a good RT feature.

Mobile Fotos - Probably the best mobile client for Flickr. I used to use it a lot to upload my pix to Flickr but now I just use the "email to Flickr" feature. Still nice to have it when I need to look for some of my pix.

myLite - One of the zillion flashlight apps in the App Store. This one does a great job for me.

Skype - I don't use this app much but it's nice to have it, just in case I need to make a quick call to France for cheap. I use Skype with VoIPover3G so it works on both wifi and 3G.

Dictionary - This app would be great if I thought about using it... I usually go to Google when I need a definition... Need to use this app more often. I really like the thesaurus feature.

Wiki Tap - With Wikipedia now going mobile, this app becomes more and more irrelevant. Still nice to have it here.

SmackTalk - The app that made me laugh the most in 2009. No doubt about it!

Sound Grenade - If you like to piss people off on certain occasions, then this is the perfect app. It creates a very annoying sound that will drive people nuts while wondering what it is and where it's from.

Star Walk - Hands down the best app in the App Store. I don't use it much but when I do, it always amazes me and my friends. Point it at the sky at night and learn about the stars and constellations thanks to the GPS an digital compass.

Currency Converter - A must-have if like me you travel a lot overseas. It allows you to select several currencies and gives you quick conversions for each of them. In less than 5 seconds, I can find out what $100 is worth in 8 different currencies vice versa. It works both online and offline.

Photoshop.com Mobile - The mobile version of Photoshop. When it came out everyone was ecstatic about it. I don't think it's that good but I still use it a lot to crop my images when necessary.

Brain Exercise - The famous Doctor Kawashima made the jump from the Nintendo DS to your iPhone in order to help you exercise your brain. I stopped using this app as it was driving me nuts. My brain still seems to function ok. Should be deleted by January 2nd.

IMDb - I never used this app but I figured it might come in handy when I'm looking for the name of "this" actor in "this" movie.

gPush - Gmail push notifications for your iPhone. I downloaded gPush a few months ago because I was expecting an important email. I don't really need this anymore as I know use Google Sync for iPhone.

FlightTrack - Another must-have for travelers. This apps tracks your flights and gives you important info like time, delays, gates, etc... This app saved me $200 once.

FM 94/9 -That's the app of my favorite radion station back home in San Diego. I use it to listen to Brunch With Bob & Friends every Sunday morning. If you're into Bob Marley, you owe it to yourself to listen to this show.

PhoneFlicks - There might be better than PhoneFlicks to manage your Netflix queue but this one works great for me.

myWireless - The official AT&T app. It's really good for keeping track of your usage, but most importantly for paying your bills online.

Duo - This app allows you to update both your Facebook status and Twitter at the same time. I love it!

Midomi Sound Hound - Just like Shazam, Midomi can help you find a song just by singing it or my bringing your iPhone close to the speaker. I think it's much better than Shazam.

Light Saber - Every iPhone user owes it to himself to have this light saber app. Kids love it.

LBX Shaver - This app fakes an electric shaver. Great for playing jokes (check mine out).

Gun App - In the same class as LBX Shaver, this app fakes several weapons. My favorite is the taser that makes this funny song and vibrates and you press the screen. My fiancee freaks out every time I use it on her.

Discover - A great app that allows you to transfer files from computer to iPhone over wifi.

Vonage - I have Vonage at home, on my laptop and I love it. This app however is greatly disappointing. I keep it in hope that Vonage will make it a VoIP app someday.

What's On? - This is a by far the best TV guide for iPhone.

Evernote - Everyone says it's a great app. I downloaded it to try it out but I guess it's too fancy for me as I don't really use notes. Still experimenting with it.

QuickSense - It allows me to check my Adsense earnings directly from the phone. It is fast and very reliable. Definitely a keeper!

CB Stats - This app gives me quick access to my ClickBank stats. The features are very limited but it does a good job at giving you the basics rapidly.

CheckCB - Another app to check my ClickBank earnings. This one is much better than CB Stats as it gives you very detailed info. The downside is that it's much slower...

Analytics Agent - I use the free version. Not the best analytics app for tracking your websites stats, but it is the fastest one. I use it to check my daily visits only.

Analytics App - If I need deeper analytics for my websites, then I use Analytics App. The downside of this app is that it is pretty slow, especially if you're not on wifi.

1Password - I downloaded this app when it was free in the App Store. I never really use it. Maybe I should just delete it.

iExpenseIt - This is a great app for keeping track of your expenses. See, since I'm running a business, I am required by law to keep track of everything I spend. I update it once or twice a month with new spendings and give it to my tax guy at the end of the year.

Mint - A good app for checking your finances. It syncs with your banking accounts and credit cards to give you a quick picture of where you're at money wise.

Ego - I use this app to track how many feed readers I have on this blog.

So these are my apps. If you feel like it, please share your tops fav apps in the comments.

ProSwitcher Multitasking App for the iPhone

I can't remember the last time I was so excited about a jailbreak app. Maybe it was for Action Menu, or for mQuickDo? I'm not sure, but what I know is that ProSwitcher has radically changed the way I use my iPhone.

ProSwitcher is a multitasking app for the iPhone that kinda replicates the Palm Pre "cards" feature by adding a very nice UI to Backrounder, the jailbreak app that allows you to run apps in the background.

I never was a fan of Backgrounder. Having to close the app to launch another one kinda defeated the purpose. But ProSwitcher makes app switching seamless, and I have to say, with a certain style.

9 to 5 Mac gives a pretty good description of how it works:

You can trigger the cards view by opening the application from home-screen, touching the status bar, or by double clicking the home button. To add an application to the Cards view, you simple have to launch the app, then hold down the home button for about one to two seconds. To remove an app from the “Cards” view click the close button on the top left of the card, to swipe the card up the screen.

I ran ProSwitcher on my 3GS for a few hours with up to 10 apps open at once. It didn't crash, it didn't lag and the battery didn't seem to take a big hit from it. Obviously your mileage may vary...

What I like the best about ProSwitcher is how you can smoothly switch between apps without having to close/reopen them. Actually no! What I like the best about ProSwitcher is that it is free on Cydia via the BigBoss repo. Yes it's free, so grab it until the dev realizes that he should make you pay 10 bucks for it.

ProSwitcher is one of this application that should be implemented in the next iPhone OS and honestly, I really believe (and predict) that Apple is already stripping down the code of this app and trying to make it its own for iPhone OS 4.0.

Have you tried ProSwitcher yet? How do you like it?

The Best RSS Reader For iPhone

A few weeks ago I wrote an article about the best Twitter apps for iPhone which got quite a bit of success, especially on Twitter. A few of you asked me to write the same time of article, only about the best RSS reader for iPhone.

I was just going to write such an article but my friend Patrick from JAiB had the same idea and got a chance to write about some good iPhone RSS reader before I did. Patrick gave a quick look at 6 RSS apps for iPhone that sync with Google Reader and I suggest you read his article for more details about la creme de la creme of RSS reader apps for iPhone.

He quickly reviews the following apps:

Feeds MobileRSS Doppler Byline NetNewsWire NewsStand

UPDATE 04/24/2010: My favorite reader app is not Byline anymore. Reeder is now the best RSS reader for iPhone. Read my mini review of Reeder here.

My personal preference is Byline. I like how fast it is and also the ability to cache each feed for offline reading. What I like the most about Byline is how I can see all my folders and choose to read all New Items at once, or folder by folder.

This is a great feature because I like to read my RSS feeds by category in the morning. For example, I like to read iPhone news first. Then I usually read the France and world news. Then I usually read tech news, SEO, and marketing-related news.

Byline gives a quick overview of each item and shows you the title as well as the beginning of the item. It allows you to choose to read more about each article or not. Simple and practical. That's exactly how I like my apps.

I tried a few others but Byline is by far my favorite. But as Patrick puts it, there is not really a best iPhone RSS reader app. What works for me might not really work for you. These six applications are very solid and should do an excellent job no matter what.

I'm curious to see what's YOUR favorite RSS reader for iPhone. Please share in the comments.