It’s nice that, for now, Apple seems to be “okay” with allowing third-party applications to be installed on the iPhone (although now there seems to be some backtracking by Apple with a new statement that “software updates will most likely break” native apps). Despite this, the movement is growing, especially with the combined forces of Nullriver Software and PXL Package System. They have launched a new domain called apptapp.com which will host, supposedly, a new AppTapp Installer which will be open source. This combined effort will hopefully allow for better compatibility between applications and provide a consolidated source for applications and their associated repositories.
For those of you wanting to install applications, be sure that you use the correct installer. If you have recently updated your iTunes to 7.4.1, be sure you use the new installer version 3.x located here (older versions are listed there as well) so as to avoid the endless reboot using a lower version installer. There is also a Windows version (which I have not tried).
So, in no particular order, here are some applications that I have installed and played with and think are noteworthy enough for a BRIEF writeup (with screenshots).
ApolloIM
ApolloIM was one of the first “great” apps to come out. It is an AOL Instant Messenger client that was built from the ground up. I wrote a write up of it a while ago (first one here) and it has come a long way (e.g., now has increased stability, vibrate/sounds, fixed bugs, wifi keep-alive, etc.). It seems that the development group has grown to 6 so with more resources, I expect this project to grow with leaps and bounds. They have been working with the Adium which is good to hear because Adium is the BEST IM software for the Mac out there. Also they seem to be working on using libpurple which will allow connectivity to other IM services (already they can sign on to AIM/MSN/Jabber).
{ 15 comments }
