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App Ideas

ViViDboarder

ViViDboarder

macrumors 68040
Original poster
Jun 25, 2008
3,447
2
USA
Are there any specific application ideas you'd like to see made and available in the App store?

I'm sure we all have some things we'd like to see that Apple isn't releasing with the phone and can't wait to see what developers do.

I was thinking of something that could function like the Notes application but works with your email, so you can use it with Leopard's Apple Mail.

Any others? Legal, or against SDK terms?
 
A GPS app that you sign up for. When turned on its just like a slandered GPS turn by turn system, but it takes info from other iPhones positions to determine traffic congestion. Sort of like the Dash GPS system, but with more of a likelihood of other devices being in the area to pull info from.
 
I think google already can show traffic congestion. I'm not sure a bunch of iPhones or lack of iPhones will really signify traffic.

Another hopefull is an SNES emulator. They are on Jailbroken but there are some... issues with getting it on the app store.
 
ViViDboarder said:
I think google already can show traffic congestion. I'm not sure a bunch of iPhones or lack of iPhones will really signify traffic.

Another hopefull is an SNES emulator. They are on Jailbroken but there are some... issues with getting it on the app store.
Click to expand...


Your crazy if you think Apple would allow that on the App store. They would have a massive lawsuit on their hands. SNES emulators don't work well on a phone with no buttons or tactile feel.
 
animenick65 said:
Your crazy if you think Apple would allow that on the App store. They would have a massive lawsuit on their hands. SNES emulators don't work well on a phone with no buttons or tactile feel.
Click to expand...

Hence me saying there would be issues. There is another reason for it having problems as well. As a sandbox app it can't access any other libraries or install anything else to the phone. So there would be no way to play roms unless it came bundeled with the application.
 
animenick65 said:
A GPS app that you sign up for. When turned on its just like a slandered GPS turn by turn system, but it takes info from other iPhones positions to determine traffic congestion. Sort of like the Dash GPS system, but with more of a likelihood of other devices being in the area to pull info from.
Click to expand...

agreed...this would be awesome
 
I am really hoping that Apple releases full iWork apps for iPhone. I have the family pack, so it would be free for me. I am not saying we need full blown, but at least give me the basics like office mobile does.
 
Below are a few more App ideas. I like the portability and data capabilities of the iPhone and like the possible social and local data Apps that could be created for it.

-A gas buddy type App that allows users to quickly enter gas prices at local gas stations and upload them. Other users in the area can display a map of local gas stations and the prices other iPhone owners have entered.

-Around here we have a ton of elementary schools and they have weather stations at them. An App that displays real time weather conditions based on the info provided by the local weather service and the nearest weather stations to display a more accurate depiction of the incoming and current weather at your location VIA GPS.

-An i-Spy app that picks a random object, color or theme every hour. People can take pictures of the current object, color or theme and upload them. People can then browse the pictures. They can narrow their views by location and time. People can also rate others uploads.

-An application where people can enter prices of popular items from various grocery stores and shops. People can search for these items and find the best current price based on others submissions. Again, people can narrow their search by a specific radius of miles.
 
animenick65 said:
Below are a few more App ideas. I like the portability and data capabilities of the iPhone and like the possible social and local data Apps that could be created for it.

-A gas buddy type App that allows users to quickly enter gas prices at local gas stations and upload them. Other users in the area can display a map of local gas stations and the prices other iPhone owners have entered.

-Around here we have a ton of elementary schools and they have weather stations at them. An App that displays real time weather conditions based on the info provided by the local weather service and the nearest weather stations to display a more accurate depiction of the incoming and current weather at your location VIA GPS.

-An i-Spy app that picks a random object, color or theme every hour. People can take pictures of the current object, color or theme and upload them. People can then browse the pictures. They can narrow their views by location and time. People can also rate others uploads.

-An application where people can enter prices of popular items from various grocery stores and shops. People can search for these items and find the best current price based on others submissions. Again, people can narrow their search by a specific radius of miles.
Click to expand...

Those are some good ideas. :D I'd love to have a Gas app, and that i-Spy one is brilliant!
 
ViViDboarder said:
Another hopefull is an SNES emulator. They are on Jailbroken but there are some... issues with getting it on the app store.
Click to expand...

animenick65 said:
Your crazy if you think Apple would allow that on the App store. They would have a massive lawsuit on their hands. SNES emulators don't work well on a phone with no buttons or tactile feel.
Click to expand...

ViViDboarder said:
Hence me saying there would be issues. There is another reason for it having problems as well. As a sandbox app it can't access any other libraries or install anything else to the phone. So there would be no way to play roms unless it came bundeled with the application.
Click to expand...

All is true. But hopefully Nintendo will use the iPhone SDK and port over their applications =). That way we don't get on screen buttons and we can use stuff like the accelerometer or the edges of the screen and being able to tap anywhere and not on an "A" button overlay.

animenick65 said:
-A gas buddy type App that allows users to quickly enter gas prices at local gas stations and upload them. Other users in the area can display a map of local gas stations and the prices other iPhone owners have entered.
Click to expand...

Excellent idea...simple, yet useful...I call it! :D

-An i-Spy app that picks a random object, color or theme every hour. People can take pictures of the current object, color or theme and upload them. People can then browse the pictures. They can narrow their views by location and time. People can also rate others uploads.
Click to expand...

Wouldn't that require you to have it running in the background? (and push notification is a notification, not an alarm to run your program)

-An application where people can enter prices of popular items from various grocery stores and shops. People can search for these items and find the best current price based on others submissions. Again, people can narrow their search by a specific radius of miles.
Click to expand...

I call it again! :D
 
Niiro13 said:
All is true. But hopefully Nintendo will use the iPhone SDK and port over their applications =).
Click to expand...

Doubtful... What I was thinking is if you had the emulator where you enter a repository address to it and it goes through the safari framework to an online directory where the rom is streamed. You'd have it come with some real homebrew aps and stuff and it'd be totally legal. I'm sure that sooooome way someone is going to find a way to host their own page with comercial roms, but I wouldn't know anything about that.

Wouldn't that require you to have it running in the background? (and push notification is a notification, not an alarm to run your program)
Click to expand...

The way I thought this meant was you'd open up the app and it'd tell you what the object ones and you could click a button and then take a picture. And then at the bottom you could go to browse and see all of them that have been taken (Geotagged of course :p)
 
ViViDboarder said:
The way I thought this meant was you'd open up the app and it'd tell you what the object ones and you could click a button and then take a picture. And then at the bottom you could go to browse and see all of them that have been taken (Geotagged of course :p)
Click to expand...

Thats the line I was thinking along.
 
animenick65 said:
Thats the line I was thinking along.
Click to expand...

It may even be easier as a web app because you could view it from a desktop computer as well. Also it'd be cool to see where each picture was taken using the Maps framework.

Wow, for such a simple idea it'd be a neat use of a lot of the iphone capability. :D
 
Thats what I love about the iPhone. Doing things on it is extremely intuitive and things just work. The large screen lends itself to doing fun things on it. Its the kind of useful device you want to keep in your pocket at all times and that fact means designing Apps that take advantage of this is that much more fun. There are a wealth of simple but fun Apps you could design for this thing that would NEVER be used on a windows mobile device.
 
Whats required to develop Apps? Don't you have to apply for their developer program and pay and all?
 
animenick65 said:
Whats required to develop Apps? Don't you have to apply for their developer program and pay and all?
Click to expand...

Paying is required to run the applications on the device and to submit to the AppStore.

As for development, it's free (minus whatever effort/money/time you use to learn the programming language or a similar one).
 
Perfect use of GPS

I've said this before elsewhere, but I'd love to see a business trip tracker that automatically records your mileage for the purpose of IRS and business expensing. It could automatically identify your routine commutes and trips or you enter the appropriate category and have it track mileage on the fly using GPS. Then port the data to your Mac (or PC) via Bluetooth or USB for use in a spreadsheet. What could be a simpler or more elegant enhancement to your productivity? Let's get cracking Developers!!!
 
Niiro13 said:
Paying is required to run the applications on the device and to submit to the AppStore.
Click to expand...

I think this is rather annoying for people who want to independently develop free applications. If I wanted to make an application I can't fork up 99 bucks to submit it. It'd mean I'd have to take donations before or actually charge like 1 dollar (or whatever the minimum is) for my first app.
 
After reading posts and stories about people getting their iPhones ripped off, I would want to an app that utilized the GPS to track my phone once it was stolen. So, a thief steals your phone. You go home and track it, go to that location and kick some ass.
 
bang said:
After reading posts and stories about people getting their iPhones ripped off, I would want to an app that utilized the GPS to track my phone once it was stolen. So, a thief steals your phone. You go home and track it, go to that location and kick some ass.
Click to expand...

The problem in development there is that the iPhone does not allow background processes. Most software for laptops like that rely on a background process that can be activated for such methods. I agree though, if someone can figure it out, it'd be much appreciated!

Maybe detected when run on a computer or activated or by phone calls. I dunno. Just trying to elaborate. :D
 
bang said:
After reading posts and stories about people getting their iPhones ripped off, I would want to an app that utilized the GPS to track my phone once it was stolen. So, a thief steals your phone. You go home and track it, go to that location and kick some ass.
Click to expand...

Not really do-able... You can't write apps that run in the background (which yours would have to do to have the GPS on and "update" some central server)

One thing that really bothers me about a lot of these GPS ideas is that they're all fine and dandy... until you get a phone call and that halts the GPS app to switch to the phone app... Or the user decides to surf the web...

I'm just not convinced that this "notification service" solution is going to allow us to do everything that we really want to be able to do with the iPhone. It's not a perfect solution for no-background applications.
 
2002cbr600f4i said:
Not really do-able... You can't write apps that run in the background (which yours would have to do to have the GPS on and "update" some central server)

One thing that really bothers me about a lot of these GPS ideas is that they're all fine and dandy... until you get a phone call and that halts the GPS app to switch to the phone app... Or the user decides to surf the web...

I'm just not convinced that this "notification service" solution is going to allow us to do everything that we really want to be able to do with the iPhone. It's not a perfect solution for no-background applications.
Click to expand...

I remember seeing in the keynote the demo of the Loopt software that showed other iPhone users near you. You might not even need to download an app for the phone. You just have an app on your PC that looks for the phone using some sort of unique key.
Don't know, would be cool though.
 
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