Since welcoming the iPad into my home, I’m using iTunes for Film and Television shows again. For TV and Movies that need converting, I’m using the excellent Video Monkey for Mac. Based on the dearly departed Visual Hub, it’s dead simple and will add metadata, poster art, etc. For already converted Mp4 files, I’ve just stumbled across Get Video Artwork, a site with more than a nod and a wink to the iTunes interface. Mmmm, sexy.

Must Have iPhone Apps – 2010 Edition.

Dropbox. http://itunes.apple.com/au/app/dropbox/id327630330?mt=8

Creates an automatically syncing dropbox between your computer/s and iPhone. I use it to store documents like Cv’s, invoices, etc, so i can check them/email them from the phone, and so i’ve always got an offsite backup of those kind of things. I also use the public folder to share larger files with friends… You can also create shared folders between two dropbox users; a useful example of that is i had a client and his accountant create a shared folder between them for all his invoices, receipts, etc – and because of growl notification, they were always aware of changes to the folder.

Evernote: http://itunes.apple.com/au/app/evernote/id281796108?mt=8

I use this as my main notepad for stuff i need to use right away, or stuff i want to forget instantly but get back to if i need it.. (does that make sense?) Evernote lets you create text, audio, photo notes, and like dropbox will sync these files automagically to desktop versions for mac/pc. Stuff i use it for: quickly cutting and pasting links or text from the iphone to the desktop, writing down little reminders or how to’s on my mac’s full size keyboard and knowing it’ll sync immediately to the iphone, for taking photo’s of business cards, receipts, and in tech support taking a quick photo of the printer model number so i can go back later and google the damn manual, etc.. The other cool thing about evernote is it scans the photos you take for text, and then the text becomes searchable. So a few weeks ago i took a photo of a Melbourne Comedy festival poster so i could plan a trip there, yesterday i searched for “comedy” on the app and the poster popped up. Without evernote i’d have to remember stuff.

Google Mail / Calendar / Address Book.

Google already know so much about me they could create a fully functioning clone if they wanted. So now they handle all my email, contacts and calendars too. I have three google accounts (personal, work, and spam/bacn) using IMAP to sync between iPhone and Mail but its the Calendar/Contacts that are cool on the iPhone. Google supports Microsoft Exchange for iPhone, so i use it to keep my calendar and contacts syncing over the air between phone and computer. Google calendar also makes iCal more useful cos you can set calendars to have auto reminders – for instance, anything i add to my work iCal calendar adopts my google reminder settings, so i get a reminder 1hour before and then 10 minutes before. That means i adding stuff in iCal is way faster.. My work and personal accounts are tied to domain names i own, which google support for free. I’ve set up google on domains for many clients, which adds a few intranet style features to the calendars too. A few other cool things i use with google calendars: i subscribe to a few public Google calendars – Australian Public holidays, Sydney Swans Games, school holidays, so i don’t have add those manually, as well as facebook birthdays and events, so i don’t have to ever look at facebook. I also used to share my calendar with my partner and she’d share hers, you can set it so the other person can see what you’re doing or just see “busy”, which was handy.. On the mac side iCal is set to subscribe to Google Calendar via CalDAV and address book has a ‘sync to Google’ preference.

Flight Control: http://itunes.apple.com/au/app/flight-control/id306220440?mt=8

Still the most simple, addictive game on the app store.

Consume: http://itunes.apple.com/au/app/consume-mobile-isp/id337064413?mt=8

Just a beautiful app to monitor your phone/net usage across a bunch of accounts. I monitor my iphone usage, my ISP usage, and my dads iPhone cos he’s terriefied he’ll go over his download limit. By the makers of iStat which you probably know. All the Bjango apps are worth a download actually.

Meebo: http://itunes.apple.com/au/app/meebo/id351727311?mt=8

Brand new, but the best IM client for the iPhone, with free push and no advertisements, if you’re into that kind of thing.

TripView: http://itunes.apple.com/au/app/tripview-sydney/id294730339?mt=8

Save your most used bus, train and ferry journeys, and quickly check the timetables for them. Grab the free Metlink Melbourne and Tram Tracker apps next time you’re visiting Melbourne.

ShopShop: http://itunes.apple.com/au/app/shopshop-shopping-list/id288350249?mt=8

There are far better/prettier shopping list apps, but this is dead simple and the fastest to use. And really, thats all you need for a shopping list app.

TVGuide: http://itunes.apple.com/au/app/tvguide/id284944379?mt=8

It’s, um, a Tv Guide.

Photoshop Mobile http://itunes.apple.com/au/app/photoshop-com-mobile/id331975235?mt=8

The enhance menu is pretty useful.

Showtimes: http://itunes.apple.com/au/app/showtimes/id285018181?mt=8

What movie is showing at the nearest cinemas..

Put Things Off: http://itunes.apple.com/au/app/put-things-off/id309622930?mt=8

There are heaps of to-do apps, but this is the quickest, simplest, and pretty enough that it looks like a native iPhone app. BUT i wouldn’t recommend buying it just now, version two should be out by the end of the month, which will be a paid upgrade.

Honorable Mentions: Skype, Facebook and eBay apps are actually nicer to use on the iPhone than their godawful desktop/website companions. The Westpac app is suprisingly not shit anymore, you can actually do things with it now. Shazam was good, then they crippled the free version, still its a cool app to show off to non iPhone users, however Midomi SoundHound works better on most occasions, but its a ripoff.

And thats the short list…

Pete.

Do not buy.

Ever since i read about Payback, a GTA clone for the iPhone, i’ve been pretty bloody excited. Well, my twenty day wait its finally over!

Payback is $8.99 Australian, and available now. (iTunes Link)

This should tied you over until the February 17th release of the GTA IV Downloadable content – The Lost and the Damned.

Now its time for me to delete some choons to fit this 221mb badboy on my Jebus.

underbelly – a review, which leads to the inevitable

blue murder discussion. they just dont make em like that anymore.

the damntation of harvey mchugh

bigger boat day

the speilberg retrospective

jaws

close encounters

catch me if you can

Deppth

run fatboy run

i didnt like it….

the kubrick retrospective

paths of glory

the killing

the thing

howard hawks or or john carpenter?

escape from new york

portal

which leads to a discussion of the genius of yahtzee

bioshock

and gaming in general

zelda vs halo

films that will get you laid

out of sight?

lost in translation ???????

we should have thought that segment through a bit more..

but we didnt, cos its fulltime casual.

This week i had a mini-holiday, and spent alot of time just wandering about with my iPod on. I’d ran out of new Podcasts by the second day, so i opened up iTunes to look for new stuff. Thats when i realised old episodes of This American Life can be bought through iTunes for 99 cents.

The episodes were:

Everyday Macgyver Moments

20 Acts in 60 Minutes

Godless America

and, The Allure Of Crime.

All we’re random picks, and all were the usual high quality. But that final episode, The Allure of Crime, was exceptional. If you’ve never heard this American Life before, start here (you can listen for free clicking the link).

My Current choice of Podcasts:

Buzz Out Loud

A daily podcast on all things geek. I find something strangely comforting in hearing Tom rush through “This Podcast brought to you by Earthlink” everyday. Although, i hate hearing the earthlink ads during the show…

This Week In Tech.

No surprises here, i think every geek on the planet listens to this one. By the time this one rolls around, you’ve pretty much heard every story on Buzz Out Loud already, but the panel is normally good enough to grant hearing their take on things.

MacBreak Weekly.

Part of the Twit family. It’s saved from complete fanboy hell by the lovely Merlin Mann. The boy is hilarious. Scott Bourne on the other hand, proves you cant teach old media new tricks…

Get This.

I’ve said it before, I’ll say it again. Tony Martin is the most gifted comedian in Australia. I only wish they didnt make it a highlight show. Triple M, please just strip the show of Knickleback and obnoxious ads and stick it online daily..

Boxcutters.

Hilarious show about all things Television. Remarkably high production values for an independent podcast too..

Footytalk.

If you dig AFL, you’ll dig this. The production values are shaky at best, but semi-regular host Polly is the best AFL brain on any medium. Note to channel 7, give this guy his own show…

KCRW’s The Business

I good weekly look at Hollywood, with some great interviews..

KCRW’s The Treatment

Another Hollywood Show, this time focusing on screen writing. Elvis Mitchell’s mellifluous voice and brilliant interviewing style make it perfect listening.

This American Life

I brilliant radio documentary show. If only more shows like this were being made..

SModcast

Kevin Smith and Scott Mosier talk about nothing for an hour. Hilarious, and oh so wrong, its made me burst out laughing on a train more times than any other show.

Roy and HG’s This Sporting Life

I normally only listen to the first half hour of this, where HG sets out “the ball tearers down his end of the swamp” before “Letting Roy of the leash to pour petrol on the burning heap that was the last set of seven…” but its worth downloading just for that.

Podcast 411

A podcast about podcasts and podcasters…

Are their others I should listen to? Please let me know in the comments and I’ll add them to the list.

Lachlan wrote:

i love Keith and the Girl, even if Keith has a lisp and acts like a dick sometimes.

i’m applying for a small business loan and i need some market research to back my claims.

if you listen to podcasts, can you please click on the survey link at the top of the page.

its only ten questions, and most are multiple choice. it should take less than a minute.

thank you in advance,

pete.

The Merlin Show just keeps on keeping on. I Love it.

As does Kevin Smiths podcast. The best new podcast of 2007. Big Kev makes Ricky Gervais look like a polite schoolboy.

And while I’m giving thanks to some new podcasts, i must pay respects to the best Australian podcast, Get This, With Tony Martin. Trust me, its not just some zany radio breakfast show thats been converted to mp3 and distributed. Its the best damn show on the planet.

TWIT is back! Well, to be fair it never left us. Episode 90 is a snacksized TWIT, but with a kickarse panel. Oh, and I’m Proud to be Weenie! (But more on that later..)

the rest of my podcast list looks like this…

too much geek, not enough explicit…

Oh my God!

The Parental controls window looks pretty similar to the previous versions, but it has one small difference. Can you spot it? Here is the old:

And here is the new:

Notice anything ? Thats right, Previously the parental controls only had an option to “Restrict Offensive Content”. That option has been replaced by a “Ratings For…” drop down menu. And what countries Ratings systems make it into the drop down menu?

Thats right, Australia! Can we finally have an option to legally download TV over the net?

I bloody hope so!