So one of the other iPhone app gems that I think doesn’t get enough publicity is the LetMeKnow app. (@pushnotifyme on Twitter)

This app is a real time saver and can come in real handy if you want to receive notifications of (almost) anything online. One great example to make use of it would be to configure it to watch NOAA’s Tsunami Watch website for any warnings you will need to know about. (@usoceangov on Twitter) First head over to the App Store and get this free app (as of this posting) by clicking here.

Once installed and opened, tap on the “Catalog” tab on the bottom. Next, tap the “Webpage” icon, and in the URL put in the correct NOAA Tsunami watch webpage for your region.

For West Coast & Alaska:

http://wcatwc.arh.noaa.gov/

For Hawaii:

http://www.scd.state.hi.us/

After inputting the site, make sure the following settings look like the snapshot above. “Look At” should be set to the “Part of Page”, and Sensitivity set to “At Least 1% Different”. For the Part of Page setting make sure you tap the area in which you want to continually “watch”. So for this example we will want to watch the banner that would change if there is a Tsunami warning. Tapping in that area will “highlight” it and your ready to go back to the Edit Subscription menu and tape “Save”. Example below:

(Side note: if you tap an area that LetMeKnow gives you an error from like a dynamic item on the page, simply select a larger region of that site to encapsulate the content you want to watch. I needed to do this and the snapshot above represents the area I needed to highlight in order for the app to recognize the item.)

After a few minutes from saving it, your LetMeKnow app will be ready to notify you the moment NOAA gives any sort of warning on its website! Let’s hope we never get any notifications from NOAA by using this app because we’ll know what that means, but if so at least you’ll be one of the first to know to get to higher ground.

There are plenty of other uses for this app, but I think this by far represents one of the coolest uses for it. At least, until the NOAA puts out an official iPhone app that does Push notifications for Tsunami and weather alerts.

Ever go to a nice bakery or restaurant that just seems too good to be true? Its located somewhere to the side of a bustling neighborhood or business district, has amazingly great tasting food, quaint and low-priced, and to top it off it seems that your one of the few lucky ones in city to know about it? Same theory for iPhone apps apply. I, like other passionate Apple / iPhone enthusiasts out there tend to try out a LOT of apps. Some are free, some are from the App Store, some come with a fee, some are downloaded through Cydia. Whatever the app, they all come with the same minimum price tag of 57×57 pixels of precious home screen space. Over time, you need to decide which 57×57 pixels stay, and which go.

Since having the original iPhone 2G and updating/upgrading throughout the years I have accumulated many apps. I recently went through them in my App Library of iTunes and deleted a lot I don’t use anymore or were replaced by better apps. For us iPhone enthusiasts we all know the “good” iPhone apps from the bad. It can be subtle differences or huge eye popping flaws that draw us away from one to another, but in the end its always about functionality, design, and reliability. I am not here to make a post about the great apps out there you most likely already know about if your an avid iPhone user. (Facebook, Tweetie, BeeJive IM, CNN, LogMeIn, etc)

No, I’m here to share iPhone app reviews that’s I think go above and beyond. These are a mixed bag of apps from both the AppStore and Cydia but deserve a nod because they excel in their creativeness to make the iPhone reach a new level of mobility once installed. Setting aside the Apple Fanboyish tone for a moment, I do believe that having a communications tool nearby at all times is extremely important and the more we can get out of it the better off you and your most in-touch contacts will be.  This goes for the iPhone, Android based phones, or any other cell phones that are in the smart phone category. Though, I do believe the iPhone is the only one so far that has the best advantage to help people stay in touch, do everyday (and not so everyday) tasks, and just help in general overall above any other mobile device. This is why I am passionate about the iPhone, because it really has revolutionized how, when, and where people connect, interact, work, and be entertained.

Moving on to the meat and potatoes, here are some really nifty apps I have come across that I think have changed or will change (with updates) how the iPhone can/will be used.

IP-Relay

I used to have a T-Mobile Sidekick and Sidekick II back in the day. These little suckers were amazing at the time, although lacking a lot of things we now take for granted they did serve great purposes. One of the best things I liked about it was having IP-Relay at my fingertips. Now that iPhone has its own app for that, it will help a lot of handicapped and unable people to communicate that were previously incapable to before. IP-Relay (or TRS, Telecommunications Relay Service) is a text-based system that the user (usually handicapped or hearing impaired) uses to connect to an operator to text/chat with them the conversation to the number they would have normally dialed to.

The user would type to the program on their computer/iphone screen to “dial” (in this case have the operator dial) the number so that they are then connected live. Once connected the Operator quickly asks the callee party if they know how IP-Relay works. If the party says “No” the Operator begins to explain the process. Instead of explaining I think it would be best to just show you how it works, a sample of a typical call script below:

“Hello, this is Operator #123456 calling on behalf of Alex with an IP-Relay (or Operator Assisted) call, do you know how to use the system?”

“Yes.”

(The Operator then waits for instructions from me on the other end.) I might type something like:

“Hi Mom, I just wanted to let you know that my eardrum is doing much better from the accidental flux capacitor explosion the other day. I still have more recovery but in the meantime I am using this service that lets me hear what you would say to me by reading what the Operator types to me after you say it!”

At this point some programs send an additional code to the Operator after hitting the Return key. Usually some code like “GA” (Go Ahead) is used to let the Operator know that person is done typing/speaking.  So after hitting Return or GA, the Operator tells my mom what I typed. My mom replies:

“Oh thats great, I cant wait until you get the book back from Biff so we can all get back to our normal space time continuums! I will see you in the future! Bye! — Go Ahead”

The Operator types out what my mom said to me, and waits for my reply. I can finish the conversation by either saying “Goodbye” or some programs have an actual “Hang Up” button that lets the Operator know the call is finished.

Download IP-Relay from the AppStore

Dragon Dictation

This app has been out for a couple of months now, but I think it has a good head start on Apple. This is the kind of features that should have been in the iPhone from the beginning but its comforting to know its at least possible with an OS update. In the meantime, Dragon Dictation (free) lets you speak, tap a button and have your words turned into text on the screen. I have to admit I was skeptical about the accuracy of this app before I downloaded it but was pleasantly surprised at it being able to pick up even my slang words. It also asks if you would like to upload your contacts information to their servers which can be a no no in some peoples books but it uses the information to make sure it knows when you speak someones name it gets it right. To get close to 100% accuracy with this app try adding words to its dictionary by putting those words as a contact themselves in your address book.

It can come in handy if your hands are tied at that moment. It also can be much faster than typing too! So before you send off that long email or text message consider Dragon Dictation, it won’t even cost you a penny. (But that traffic ticket will if you get caught using this)

Download Dragon Dictation from the AppStore

Zinio

I have been using the Zinio magazine reading software on my Mac for years. They have a VERY well done organizational system for magazines as well as a large selection to choose from. Their prices for magazine subscriptions really are a bargain. You could get a years worth of Maxim magazine, Popular Science, or SPIN magazines for only $10 each to name a few. The great thing is you own them for life, no need to worry about throwing it away and wondering if you might want to read it again someday, you’ll have it safely stored on your hard drive or iPhone.

But what if your hard drive crashes you ask, what then? Zinio lets you re-download past magazines you may have deleted or lost so you will always have access to your purchased magazines. This is what makes it worth it to me and I would even gladly pay more because of this fact, thankfully Zinio is awesome enough to not charge more for this feature.

Zinio for the iPhone lets you buy new magazines too. The “Shop” tab shows a list of all available magazines for the iPhone. When tapping on one, it takes you to Safari which lets you buy it securely through their mobile website. Once purchased, it will be waiting for you to download back in the Zinio app. Another nice feature is the crisp text view that you can switch to for most all pages within the magazines. Instead of viewing the individual page as a “whole picture” and zooming in/out to view it in the best possible way on your screen, you can just tap “Read” on the bottom and it converts all the words in that page to a selectable text format. Great for emailing, copying/pasting, etc.

Zinio was just released last month, the only drawback to the iPhone app is not ALL magazines are available to view on the iPhone. Zinio is working at making sure all past and future magazines are iPhone compatible. They started out with 4 magazines when the app was released, as of the end of February they are up to 75. Not bad at all Zinio, not bad at all.

Download Zinio from the AppStore

USB Drive

Are you someone who still has a USB Thumbdrive on your keychain? Stop that! You have an iPhone now, no need! Cydia brings you an app that will allow you to use your iPhone as a regular external USB storage device. It works well BOTH in Mac and Windows. Unless your filling your iPhone up to the rim with photos, music, videos and apps then this handy tool will do just nicely for extra storage when you need it. We carry our iPhones everywhere we go so and is perfectly capable of being used as an external hard drive so, why not?

Once you install USB Drive you can open the app up and create a drive partition of your choice in size to fit your needs. The default is set up at 1GB, which suits me well. There are a few options to make connecting your iPhone to a computer that might have trouble recognizing the iPhone as a USB Mass Storage device and rather as the normal “iPhone” drive that displays your photos in your camera roll. To help with this, the app has different USB Modes as follows:

Default mode: In this mode, the USB Drive app doesn’t install daemon application nor modify any USB settings. Picture Transfer Protocol (PTP) isactive as well as iTunes synchronization and tethering over USB.

Drive + iTunes mode: In this mode, the USB Drive app replaces PTP interface with Mass Storage interface and let you use iPhone as USB Drive. At the same time you can perform iTunes synchronization, developers can use XCode debugger, etc. In this mode USB Mass Storage will not work on Windows with iTunes or Apple USB Drivers installed.

Drive Only mode: This mode is to resolve compatibility issue with Windows and iTunes. In this mode USB Drive changes iPhone device USB product ID. This will prevent iTunes synchronization, but USB Mass Storage will work on Windows (and other operation systems of course). Switching to the Default or Drive + iTunes modes restores iTunes sync.

So stop carrying around that USB thumb-drive, and in most cases you most likely carry around your iPhone USB cable anyway for charging right?

Download with Cydia repo: http://repo.beyouriphone.com/

MyWi

Tethering the iPhone is a great help when internet is no where near your laptop or other wireless device. But what if you want to take it another step foward? In comes MyWi app. (Current version 3.4.1) It lets you create a mobile WiFi hotspot with the iPhone to let anyone hop on the network. It supports open network, as well as 40-bit and 104-bit WEP security to prevent others from getting access. If you want to go old school you can by enabling USB or Bluetooth tethering as an option too.

I used to use “PdaNet” as my tethering app but MyWi uses much less battery leaving me with more time to be connected. Everything within the app is as easy as pie. One of my favorite things to do with this app is making contrasting (funny?) SSID Wi-Fi networks in public areas that already have free Wi-Fi.

I will admit this can be used maliciously too though if you run it in an open area with a public Wi-Fi Open Network already in place and rename the SSID to something similar (or exactly the same) as the open network. Some random schmuck who hops on YOUR network could potentially be exposing all their information to you by browsing to the sites they normally would and submitting usernames and passwords thinking everything is dandy because they are on a WiFi network they don’t consider risky. I’m not going to get into an ethics conversation here, I’m just saying this is possible. On a separate note, people who use open public Wi-Fi networks should already know they are prone to having information looked at by the network admin of that Open Wi-Fi network – be it a coffee shop, your local library, hotel, or anyplace that offers free internet access.

The only drawback to this app is that if your not already using (or don’t like using) “Rock”, it installs this by default if you choose to install MyWi. The price for this app goes for $9.99 but comes with a free trial if you install it from the original distribution repo given below. Now I won’t go into details but I hear there is a non-Rock/Free version of this app that you can get from another repository floating around out there, might want to look to Google for that one. I only mention this because after reading many threads and sites out there, people seem to have their iPhones give them troubles galore after installing Rock. So be wary.

Download with Cydia repo: http://apt.modmyi.com/

iWep Pro

Without getting into ethics here, if you enjoy Wardriving you will love this iPhone app. By far one of the best iPhone WEP cracking apps out there that I have tested. Now free or by donation (which I highly recommend) you can check to see if your network security is up to snuff. Keep in mind this can be used for malicious reasons so please kids, don’t go breaking into someones router without their knowledge ok?

The current version as of this posting (1.1.2.1) allows  cracking to selected routers. Don’t go freaking out and think that anyone with an iPhone passing by will be able to crack your WEP enabled WiFi network anyway because this still has much work to be done to it, only certain routers can be cracked with this app. (And why are you on WEP anyway? Switch to WPA or WPA2 already) The repository also has several dictionaries for the app to search through, if your big on this kind of stuff keep a definite eye on this one.

Download with Cydia repo: http://iwazowski.com/repo/

FakeLocation

One of the best things about the iPhone; GPS, can also be one of the worst. A downfall to GPS is location aware apps that purposefully turn features off if your not within a certain range. MLB’s At Bat app does this, if you try to watch a live game while in an unauthorized “district range” you are blocked from watching it. Another downfall are apps that force you to use GPS and “post/broadcast” it without any option to turn it off. These apps are far and few between but they’re out there. FakeLocation lets you pick where you are and choose only specific apps to fake that location to. This can cause a headache for a lot of apps out there especially those social networks that rely on GPS a lot like FourSquare, Loopt, etc. Either way, this is a good tool to have in your utility belt anyway.

Download with Cydia repo: http://apt.modmyi.com/

3G Unrestrictor

This is borderline “Hole in the Wall” since a lot of jailbreakers use this app. I wanted to put it up here because I think the way Apple is heading with AT&T is a good one. Letting users download 20MB now instead of 10MB in the Appstore/iTunes Store is a plus. More good signs from AT&T are coming in on a weekly basis now, such as 3G support for TV/Movie streaming apps.

Still, there are still a handful of apps still that havent quite made the “3G supported” list yet. To fix that, grab 3G Unrestrictor and add that app to the its list. This will also allow you to watch YouTube videos on 3G with WiFi quality, lift the 20MB limit, and do wonders for your Skype calling.

Download from Cydia repo: http://apt.bigboss.us.com/repofiles/cydia/

So that’s my round-up of app picks that I think deserve a well lengthy golf-clap at the very least. I am really interested to see what the future holds for the iPhone and what kind of new advances it will lead us into. Hope that I was able to introduce you to a few apps you may not have known about, if you have any that you think are worth being on this list be sure to let me know in the comments!